LIBRARY 

OF    THK 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

OTKT  OR 


Received 
Accession  No.  6^$  3        .    Class  No 


THE 


THE    GREAT    CHIEFTAINESS    AND     "MEDICINE 

WOMAN"    OF  THE  MOHAWKS. 

NIVE 


ADVENTURES 

AND 

EXPERIENCES   OF   HER  WHITE   FOSTER 
SON  AS  RELATED  BY  HIMSELF. 


A  LIFE  FILLED  WITH 


AN     AUTOBIOGRAPHY    IN    WHICH    ARE    DESCRIBED     MANY 
SUPERNATURAL   OCCURRENCES,    APPARITIONS,    HERB- 
INDUCED    VISIONS,    SECOND  SIGHT  AND   HYPNOTIC 
TRANCES,  WITH  WEIRD  MYSTIC  CEREMONIES  BY 
INDIAN   MAGICIANS   AND   MEDICINE   MEN, 
AND   CURIOUS    RELIGIOUS   RITES. 

SCENES     IN     CANADA,     IN     THE     STATES,     ON     THE     GREAT 

I,AKES,    ON   THE   PLAINS   AND   IN   CALIFORNIA.  —  A 

BOOK  OF  WONDERS  WITH  MANY  LUDICROUS 

SCENES,    COMICAL  SITUATIONS,  AND 

HUMOROUS    PASSAGES. 


By  WILLIAM  P. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1892, 

BY  WILLIAM  P.  BENNETT, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington,  D.  C. 

a 


ALL   RIGHTS   RESERVED. 


IMDEX 


Preface 9 

Introductory 1 1 

CHAPTER  I. 

My  Birth  and  Early  Childhood— The  Mohawks  of 
tlie  Grand  River  Indian  Reservation,  Ontario,  Canada — 
The  Sky-Sifter's  Ceremony — Mystic  Power 17 

CHAPTER  II. 

Personal  Appearance  of  the  Sky-Sifter — A  Powerful 
and  Dreaded  Medicine  Woman — I  Am  "Christened" 
by  the  Sky-Sifter  and  Given  an  Indian  Name — A 
Strange  Ceremony 19 

CHAPTER  III. 

I  Develop  the  Affliction  of  Second  Sight — How  It  Is 
Discovered — Experience  in  Buffalo,  New  York — I  Am 
Cast  out  into  a  Snowdrift  by  My  Father  as  a  "  Child 
of  the  Devil" — The  Ghost  of  the  School-Master's 
Sister — My  Mother  Boxes  My  Ears  and  Weeps  over  Me 
—The  Sky-Sifter  Delighted— I  See  the  Wolf-Mau 23 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Apparitions — A  Historical  Example 28 

*    \  CHAPTER  V. 

Another  Strange  Vision — I  See  a  Man  Moving  in  His 
Grave — He  Is  Found  To  Have  Been  Buried  Alive — An 
Attempt  to  Analyze  My  Troublesome  Gift 30 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Celebrated  and  Singular  Cases — The  Compact  of  the 
Two  Students — What  Came  of  It — The  Apparition  of 
Ficinus  and  Its  Awful  Testimony 33 

CHAPTER  VII. 

More  Reminiscences  of  Childhood — Ceremonies  to 
•''Dispossess"  Me — But  for  the  Intervention  of  the 
Sky-Sifter  I  Would  Have  Been  Born  a  Girl — Testimony 
of  the  Doctors. 35 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

My  Experience  with  Designing  Persons — I  Am 
Expected  To  Find  Hidden  Treasure — My  Indian  God- 
Mother,  the  Sky-Sifter,  and  Her  Wessons ....  38 


4  INDEX. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Magic  Arts  of  the  Sky-Sifter — Her  Weird  Dances  and 
Incantations — How  I  Was  Made  To  Furnish  Such  Infor 
mation  as  She  Required 40 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  Use  of  Certain  Herbs  and  Drugs— The  Strange 
Effects  Produced — Examples,  Ancient  and  Modern — 
Some  Curious  Stories 42 

CHAPTER  XI. 

The  Sky-Sifter's  Medicine  Canoe — A  Wolf  Sometimes 
Seen  Paddling  It — The  Mystery  of  the  Canoe — Magic 
Spells  on  Lake  Erie— The  Wonders  I  Was  Made  To  See 
—The  Spirits  of  the  Great  Lakes— The  Lantern  of  the 

Dead 46 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Was  it  Hypnotism? — Mesmerism  Long  Known  to 
Indian  Medicine  Men — An  Example 52 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  Office  of  an  Indian  Medicine  Man — The  Power 
of  Senontiyah — Astonished  Sailors — The  "Mystery 
Thing  "—Medicine  Women 55 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

I  Am  Sent  Out  To  "  Make  my  Medicine  " — A  Severe 
Trial — Alone  in  the  Forest — The  Wonders  I  Saw — The 
Turtle  Given  Me  as  a  Talisman — The  Lair  of  the  Devil.  6c 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Wigwam  of  the  Sky-Sifter— My  Totem— The  Old 
Woman  of  the  Hut 66 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

A  Medicine  Feast— The  Ceremony  of  Making  New 
Fire— Sacrificial  Offerings — I  Am  Adopted  into  the 
Tribe — Two  Sky-Sifters  Appear — I  Am  given  my  Medi 
cine  Bag— I  Again  See  the  Wolf-Man,  or  "The  One 
Who  Never  Dies  " — My  Medicine  or  Prayer  Stick 69 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

A  Medicine  Trick — Footprints  of  the  Devil — Punish 
ing  a  Hypocrite Si 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

The  Two  Sky-Sifters  are  One  and  the  One  Two— A 
Mysterious  Matter — The  Plot  of  the  Mohawks 82 


INDEX. 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
The  Thunder's  Nest— Hill  of  Death— Magic  Plants. .     85 

CHAPTER  XX. 

The  Ghost  of  a  Murdered  Man — The  Skeleton — My 
Ghost-Seeing  Faculty  Again  Brings  the  Treasure- 
Seekers  88 

CHAPTER  XXL 

Some  Historical  Apparitions — What  the  Baron 
Geramb  Saw — The  Story  of  the  Consul  of  Sara 94 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

I  Am  Asked  To  Marry  the  Sky-Sifter's  Daughter- 
Land  and  Ponies  Offered  Me — Disastrous  Result  of  My 
First  Medicine  Trick — I  Ask  the  Aid-  of  the  Great  Spirit 
— A  Comforting  Sign  Given  Me  . .  '. 96 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

My  Foster-mother  Appears — The  Wolf-Man  Again — 
The  Sky-Sifter  To  Be  Burned  as  a  Witch 101 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

The  Sky-Sifter  in  the  Burning  Wigwam— She  Is 
Seen  Amid  the  Flames — "Burn  the  Witch!" — Shrieks 
of  Agony  from  the  Hut — A  Mysterious  Reappearance 
of  Both  Sky-Sifters— "  The  One  Who  Never  Dies  " 107 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

The  Wolf-Man— A  Night  in  a  Mystic  Cavern— The 
Shade  of  the  Old  Woman  of  the  Hut— Mortals  and 
Immortals — Many  Mysteries  Discoursed  of  by  My 
Guide— Wonders  of  the  Halls  of  the  Dead in 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

The  Funeral  of  the  Sky-Sifter— My  Uncle,  the  Wolf- 
Man — Mysterious  Movements  in  the  Forest— At  the 
Grave — Two  Sky-Sifters  Appear,  to  the  Terror  of  the 
Indians — A  Grand  Stampede 120 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

An  Exodus  of  People  of  the  Old  Religion — The  Land 
of  the  "  Gitche  Manitou  "—The  Canoe  Fleet  and  Lan 
terns  of  the  Dead 128 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Strange  Indians  of  the  Great  Lakes — The  Great 
Turtle  Talisman — I  Am  Made  Its  Keeper — My  Won 
derful  Uncle 139 


6  INDEX. 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

The  Canoe  Fleet  on  the  Lake — I  Am  Placed  Aboard  a 
Strange  Schooner 142 

CHAPTER  XXX. 

A  Mystified  Captain— How  the  Sky-Sifter  Terrified 
Him — I  Am  Looked  upon  As  Being  in  League  with 
Satan 144 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

I  Play  Medicine  Man  and  Raise  a  Wind — Astonished 
Sailors — Captain  Walker  Proves  a  Good  Friend  to  Me. .  149 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

In  Buffalo' I  "  Adopt "  a  Rich  Aunt— I  Put  on  the  Airs 
of  a  Prince — Captain  Walker  and  the  Magic  String 154 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

I  Discover  the  Magic  Use  of  the  Talisman — The 
Sky-Sifter  on  the  "Hill  of  Death"— " Nid  du  Tonn- 
erre  "—I  See  My  Mother  and  All  Others  I  Wish  To  See 
in  the  Mirror — I  Arouse  the  Curiosity  of  My  Aunt. . . .  159 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

My  Fine  Feathers — I  Cut  a  Great  Figure — My  Visit 
to  the  "Nancy  "—The  Sailors 162 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

My  Talisman  Raises  a  Great  Row — My  Aunt  Begins 
To  Show  up  as  a  Crank — My  Troubles  Begin 166 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

The  Devil  Abroad  in  Buffalo — His  Visit  to  the  "Nancy" 
— Again  the  Talisman — It  Causes  a  Murderer  to  Con 
fess—The  Two  Sky-Sifters  Appear  and  Warn  Me  To 
Leave  the  City 168 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

My  Aunt  Loving  and  Joyful — She  Desires  Me  To  Set 
up  as  "The  Great  Avenger" — She  Pensions  My 
Mother — She  Desires  To  Take  the  Great  Spirit  for  her 
God 177 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

My  Aunt  Taught  the  Medicine  Mysteries — She  Turns 
Her  House  into  a  Great  Medicine  Lodge — She  Kisses 
the  Turtle .  180 


INDEX.  7 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

My  Aunt  Sets  Up  as  the  "Prophetess  of  the  Cayu- 
gas  "—The  Mouse  Proves  To  Be  My  Aunt's  Totem—  She 
Is  Disgusted  but  Accepts  It—  Julia  Dragged  to  the  "Cell 
of  Retirement  "—Police  Called  Out—  I  Vanish  from 
Buffalo  ..............................................  185 

CHAPTER  XL. 

Again  in  Canada  —  Old  Scenes  —  Events  Ominous  of 
Evil—  The  Secret  Tunnel  ..............................  192 

CHAPTER   XLI. 

I  Meet  the  Sky-Sifter's  Daughters—  More  of  the 
Mystery  of  the  Ga-on-ye-was  —  "It  Is  the  Great  Turtle 
Totem  f"  —  Evil  in  the  Air—  I  Betake  Myself  To  Flight..  201 

CHAPTER 


The  Old  Cabin  —  The  Flaming  Raft  and  Giant  War 
rior  —  Down  the  River  to  the  Lake  ....................  208 

CHAPTER  XUII. 

Enemies  Abroad  —  How  I  Lost  the  Turtle  Talisman  — 
The  Young  Mohawk  —  Back  to  the  White  Settlements  — 
Port  Robinson  .....  ..................................  213 

CHAPTER  XUV. 

The  Political  Prisoner  —  Queenstown  Heights  —  A 
Battle  between  Phantom  Armies  —  Ancient  Examples  of 
Such  Supernatural  Occurrences  .......................  220 

CHAPTER  XLV. 

I  Revisit  My  Aunt  —  Millerites  and  Ascension  Robes— 
My  Aunt  Attempts  To  Fly  —  Mormonism  and  "  Urim 
and  Thummitn  "  —  I  Am  Reviled  and  Discarded  ........  230 

CHAPTER  XIvVI. 

I  Resolve  To  Become  a  Sailor  —  At  the  Tavern  of  the 
Sailors  —  How  Dick  Dunstan  Downed  the  Devil  ........  235 

CHAPTER  XIvVII. 

Again  Aboard  the  "  Nancy  "  —  A  Child's  Prayers  Tied 
up  in  the  Knots  of  the  Magic  String  —  The  Fortunate 
Schooner  Sold—  On  Board  the  Brig  "  Oiftario,"  Captain 
Harvey  —  "  Old  Tarry's  "  Dismay  ......................  240 

CHAPTER  XIvVIIL 

Wonders  of  the  Sea—  The  "Kraken,"  Sirens,  Float 
ing  Islands,  Sea  Serpents,  "  Cape  Flyaway,"  St.  Elmo's 


8  INDEX. 

Light,    and   other   Strange  Things — Erie  a  Dangerous 
Lake 244 

CHAPTER  XLIX. 

A  Fearful  Storm— The  Phantom  Ship— The  Great 
"  Fireball  "—The  Captain  Sees  the  Ghost  of  the  Cook — 
Dead  Bodies  Shipped  in  a  Heavy  Sea — A  Frightened 
Crew— We  Make  Port  Stanley— "  Pauvre  Petite!  "—A 
Sad  Scene—  Toledo— "  Old  Bombay's"  Ghost  Story- 
More  of  the  Ghost  of  the  Cook— Old  Tarry  Leaves  the 
Lakes 249 

CHAPTER  L. 

Mormons  Capture  My  Aunt — She  Develops  the  "Gift 
of  Tongues  " — She  Speaks  in  a  Language  Used  Before 
the  Deluge,  which  Language  the  Cunning  Elder  Glibly 
Translates — I  Resume  Sailor  Life — Lake  Superior — 
My  Experience  as  a  Fur  Trader — I  Am  the  "  White 
Turtle  " — News  of  the  Sky-Sifter's  Departure  for  Some 
Mysterious  Region  in  the  Far  North 269 

CHAPTER  LL 

Gold  Discovered  in  California — Off  for  the  Gold 
Mines — My  Party — The  Burning  of  the  Steamer  "  Belle 
of  the  West ' ' — A  Narrow  Escape 275 

CHAPTER  LH. 

Salt  Lake  City— I  Discover  My  Aunt— She  Is  a 
"Cursed  Apostate  "—The  Pitiable  Plight  of  a  Former 
"  Prophetess  " — How  I  Rescued  Her 278 

CHAPTER   LIII. 

On  the  "Cut  Off"— Down  the  Humboldt  River— I 
Am  Captured  by  Piute  Indians — Virtues  of  "  Medicine  " 
Lore  Among  the  Piutes  and  Other  Indian  Tribes— Cali 
fornia  at  Last , 287 

CHAPTER    LIV. 

I  Find  My  Aunt — She  Takes  to  the  Religion  of  Buddha 
and  Turns  Her  Bedroom  into  a  Joss  House — Her  Death 
and  Apparition— She  Dies  on  Her  Knees  Before  the 
Image  of  Buddha — Totem  and  Talisman — About  Magic 
Mirrors — The  Religion  of  the  One  Great  Spirit — The 
End 293 


PREKACE. 


In  the  following  Autobiographical  Sketches,  I  have  given 
place  to  many  events  of  a  supernatural  order.  In  some 
instances  I  have  attempted  explanations,  or  have  cited  sim 
ilar  instances  from  history,  while  in  others  I  have  set  down 
occurrences  of  the  kind  just  as  I  have  recorded  the  every 
day  affairs  of  my  life,  for  during  the  years  of  my  youth  all 
seeniec^  the  same  to  me.  What  appeared  supernatural  oft- 
times  to  others,  seemed  to  me  not  different  from  the  things 
of  ordinary  life,  as  it  was  long  before  I  was  able  to  trace 
the  dividing  line  between  the  natural  and  the  supernatural. 
This  was  owing  to  my  being  differently  constituted  from 
others  of  my  kind  from  birth. 

The  wonder  in  me  grew  from  time  to  time 
That  I  was  made  to  see  the  things  I  did — 

I  could  never  fathom  God's  strange  design 
For  in  mystery  were  His  ev'ry  action  hid. 

My  peculiarity  of  second-sight,  or  whatever  it  may  be 
called,  was 

So  surprising  to  parents,  friends,  and  all, 

That  I  despondent  oft  would  grow,  and  feel 
That  into  deep  mystery  I  one  day  would  fall 
And  with  the  supernatural  alone  would  deal. 

This  was  a  source  of  trouble  and  annoyance  to  me  for 
many  years;  in  fact,  until  I  was  taught  to  place  a  guard  on 
myself  by  learning  that  a  certain  class  of  events  and 
appearances,  that  seemed  to  me  as  natural  as  any  others, 
had  no  existence  for  the  generality  of  mankind.  In  this 
autobiography  I  have  not  given  an  account  of  all  my  super 
natural  experiences — as  they  have  been  innumerable,  and 
many  trivial — but  have  confined  myself  principally  to  those 
which  affected  my  course  in  life,  or  which  brought  about 


IO  PREFACE. 

curious  adventures.  I  have  chosen  to  give  those  only  that 
would  fall  readily  into  place  and  assist  in  giving  a  con 
nected  sketch  of  a  certain  period  of  my  life. 

It  will  be  observed  that  after  a  certain  age,  and  after 
escaping  from  the  influence  of  the  Indian  medicine 
woman  in  Canada,  I  have  less  to  say  of  supernatural 
things;  this  is  not  because  I  did  not  still  see  things  of  the 
kind  much  the  same  as  in  childhood,  but  because  I  had 
learned  that  such  appearances  were  strange  and  incompre 
hensible  to  mankind  in  general,  and  that  to  make  mention 
of  them  caused  me  to  seem  peculiar,  if  it  did  not  bring  me 
actual  trouble.  I  was  obliged  to  learn  to  control  myself, 
and  did  so  to  such  an  extent  that  I  was  able  to  calmly  con 
verse  with  a  man  in  his  parlor,  though  I  saw  the  shade 
of  a  departed  wife  or  friend  appear  and  stand  beside  him. 
I  so  schooled  myself  as  not  to  say  a  word,  though  on  pass 
ing  into  another  room  I  found  on  the  wall  the  portrait  of 
the  person  whose  astral  form  I  had  seen  a  moment  before. 

On  such  occasions  I  would  say  to  myself:  "It  is  none  of 
my  business;  the  one  who  has  come  from  the  realm  of 
spirits  has  not  done  so  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  or  being 
near  me."  Why  it  is  that  I  have  always  been  able  to  see 
such  forms  I  do  not  know,  unless  because  I  was  born  more 
dead  than  alive,  and  have  never  been  able  to  get  away  from 
the  borders  of  the  spirit  world.  Perhaps  the  peculiarity  is 
owing  to  the  magical  or  mesmeric  powers  of  the  Indian 
medicine  woman  exerted  upon  me  at  and  about  the  time  of 
my  birth.  However,  of  all  this  the  reader  must  decide  for 
himself  after  perusing  my  history,  written  in  the  plain  style 
of  an  old  California  miner.  WII^IAM  P.  BENNETT. 


INTRODUCTORY. 


In  the  following  reminiscences  I  propose  to  give  a 
brief  account  of  incidents  and  adventures  that  have 
fallen  across  my  line  of  life,  from  youth  to  age,  on  both 
the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  shores  of  the  American  con 
tinent.  Though  peculiarly  constituted  and  often  appar 
ently  pursued  by  some  evil  genius,  yet  my  good  angel 
has  always  had  power  to  avert  the  danger  that 
threatened.  Spirits  of  good  and  spirits  of  evil  have 
seemed  to  follow  my  path  all  the  days  of  my  life, 
without  special  effort  on  my  part  to  cultivate  the 
one,  or  conciliate  the  other.  From  infancy  I 
have  been  conscious  of  possessing  a  peculiar 
mental  gift  or  power  much  resembling  that  which 
is  known  as  "second-sight,"  or  prevision,  so  prev 
alent  in  Scotland,  and  also  well  known  in  most  of 
the  civilized  countries  of  the  globe.  For  a  few  years 
I  exercised  this  faculty  without  knowing  that  it  was  not 
common  to  the  whole  human  race,  and  not  a  few  drub 
bings  it  cost  me. 

Though  the  students  of  both  philosophy  and  physi 
ology  declare  that  what  is  known  as  second -sight  is 
mere  delusion  or  hallucination,  yet  there  is  in 
its  favor  the  evidence  of  many  sensible  men, 
not  to  say  "hard-hearted"  old  Scotchmen.  James 
Frederick  Fennier,  the  well-known  Scotch  writer 


12  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

on  metaphysics,  relates  the  following  instance  of 
second  sight  that  came  under  his  observation,  and  a 
hundred  others  might  be  given  from  various  sources  : 
"  An  officer  of  the  English  army  connected  with  my 
family  (says  Fennier),  was  quartered,  toward  the  mid 
dle  of  last  century,  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  Scotch 
gentleman  who  was  gifted  with  second  sight.  One  day, 
when  the  officer,  who  had  made  his  acquaintance,  was 
reading  a  play  to  the  ladies,  the  host,  who  was  pacing 
the  floor,  suddenly  stopped  and  appeared  like  one 
inspired.  He  rang  the  bell  and  ordered  a  servant  to 
saddle  a  horse  immediately  and  at  once  ride  to  a 
neighboring  castle,  and  ask  after  the  health  of  the  lady, 
and,  if  the  reply  was  satisfactory,  to  go  on  to  another 
house  that  he  named,  and  inquire  after  the  lady  there. 

"The  officer  closed  the  book,  and  entreated  his  host 
to  explain  his  reason  for  giving  these  sudden  orders. 
The  old  Scotchman  hesitated,  but  presently  stated 
that  as  he  was  walking  up  and  down  the  room  the 
door  had  opened  and  admitted  a  little  woman  without 
a  head,  whose  figure  resembled  the  two  ladies  to  whom 
he  had  been  sent.  He  said  the  apparition  was  a  sign 
of  the  sudden  death  of  some  person  of  his  acquaint 
ance. 

"The  servant  returned  some  hours  later  with  the 
information  that  one  of  the  ladies  had  died  suddenly 
of  apoplexy  at  the  moment  of  the  apparition." 

On  another  occasion,  during  a  stormy  night,  it  hap 
pened  that  the  old  gentleman  was  sick  in  bed,  and  the 
officer  was  reading  to  him.  The  old  man's  fishing- 
boat  was  out  at  sea  and  he  several  times  expressed 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  13 

uneasiness   for   his    people.     Presently    he    cried    out: 
"The  boat  is  lost." 

"  How  do  you  know  it?  "  inquired  the  Colonel. 

11 1  see,"  said  the  invalid,  "  two  boatmen,  who  carry 
a  third  drowned;  they  stream  with  water,  and  now  place 
him  close  beside  your  chair." 

The  officer  bounded  to  his  feet,  but  saw  nothing. 

At  night  the  fishermen  returned  with  the  dead  body 
of  their  comrade. 

John  Scheffer,  Professor  of  Law  at  Upsal,  Sweden, 
in  his  "  History  of  Lapland,"  of  which  there  is  now 
an  English  translation,  says  that  the  people  of  cold 
countries  frequently  pass  into  ecstasies  or  a  trance-like 
condition  in  which  they  have  prophetic  visions.  He 
asserts  that  second-sight  is  common  to  the  Laplanders, 
Kamtschatdales,  and  many  other  northern  peoples. 
Such  conditions  of  the  human  mind  are  as  common  in 
hot  countries  as  in  cold.  They  are  well  known  to  the 
Arabs  of  the  desert,  who  are  a  people  much  given  to  a 
species  of  reverie  called  "  keff,"  a  state  intermediate 
between  sleeping  and  waking.  Paul  de  Molenes,  who- 
lived  long  among  the  Orientals,  says  that  at  times 
several  will  at  the  same  moment  pass  into  that  condi 
tion  of  mind  when  visions  appear.  At  one  time  her 
and  all  with  him,  fell  into  this  state.  He  says :  "  A 
sort  of  invisible  mirage  exhibited  to  the  whole  caravan 
the  image  of  their  absent  country.  What  heavenly 
influence  spread  over  all  our  hearts  the  same  emotion, 
and  animated  all  our  minds  with  the  same  thoughts,  at 
the  same  moment?  It  is  a  secret  of  God,  and  of  the 
desert." 


14  THE     SKY-SIFTER,-  OR 

"It  would  seem,"  says  a  French  writer  (De  Bois- 
mout),  '•  as  though  ecstasy  should  be  only  induced  in 
individuals,  and  persons  in  whom  imagination  has  had 
time  for  development;  but  experience  shows  that  this 
phenomenon  exists  even  in  a  number  of  very  young 
children.  In  the  '  Theatre  Sacre  des  Cevennes,'  we 
read  that  children  of  eight  and  six  years,  and  even 
younger  still,  fell  into  ecstasies,  and  preached  and 
prophesied  with  others. 

"  In  1566,  a  number  of  children  brought  up  in  the  hos 
pital  of  the  City  of  Amsterdam,  girls  as  well  as  boys,  to 
the  number  of  sixty  and  seventy,  were  attacked  with 
what  was  called  an  '  extraordinary  disease';  they  climbed 
like  cats  on  the  walls  and  roofs.  Their  aspect  was  alarm 
ing;  they  spoke  foreign  languages;  said  wonderful 
things,  and  even  gave  an  account  of  all  that  was  then 
passing  in  the  municipal  council.  It  happened  that 
one  of  these  children  revealed  to  Catherine  Gesardi, 
one  of  the  nurses  of  the  hospital,  that  her  son,  Jean 
Nicolai,  was  preparing  his  departure  for  La  Haye,  and 
that  his  errand  was  for  evil.  The  woman  went 
immediately  to  the  Basilica,  which  she  reached  just  as 
the  council  was  about  to  rise.  She  found  her  son 
there,  who  was  himself  a  member  of  the  council,  and 
asked  him  if  it  was  true  that  he  was  going  to  La  Haye. 
Much  confused,  he  confessed  that  he  was,  and,  on 
hearing  that  a  child  had  revealed  it,  he  returned  and 
informed  the  council,  who,  finding  their  project  was 
discovered,  abandoned  it." 

I     These    children    ran    in   groups  of    ten  or   twelve, 
through    the  public  squares.     They  went  to  the  rector 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  I  5 

and  reproached  him  with  his  most  secret  actions;  also 
did  many  surprising  things. 

Many  instances  might  be  given  of  whole  commu 
nities  falling  into  much  the  same  state,  even  quite  down 
to  our  own  day,  and  in  our  own  country. 


THE  SKY-SIFTER 

— OR — 

THE   MYSTERIES  OF  INDIAN  LIFE. 

CHAPTER  I. 

MY    BIRTH    AND    EARLY  CHILDHOOD. 

I  was  born  on  the  Grand  River  Indian  reservation, 
Ontario,  Canada,  September  2,  1818.  The  Mohawks, 
one  of  the  leading  tribes  of  the  great  "  League  of  the 
Six  Nations,"  was  settled  here  on  leaving  the  State  of 
New  York,  at  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary  War. 
They  moved  to  Canada  in  1784,  and  were  given  all  the 
land  on  Grand  River  for  six  miles  on  each  side,  from 
ks  source  to  its  mouth.  This  beautiful  region  was 
given  the  Mohawks  by  the  British  government  as  a 
reward  for  their  services  during  the  Revolutionary 
War,  they  having  remained  true  to  the  English. 
Among  these  Indians,  when  they  first  went  to  Canada, 
were  many  noted  Sachems  and  chiefs;  indeed,  there 
are  still  men  of  note  among  them,  and  not  a  few,  both 
men  and  women,  are  highly  educated.  In  1884  they 
celebrated  the  looth  anniversary  of  their  arrival  in 
Canada,  both  at  Grand  River  and  at  the  Tyendinga 
Reserve,  on  the  Bay  of  Quinte,  when  many  fine 
speeches  were  made.  The  chiefs  appeared  upon  the 
platform  in  the  full  glory  of  their  ancient  Indian  dress, 

3 


l8  THE   SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

and  the  opening  ceremony  was  the  smoking  of  the 
pipe  of  peace.  Had  the  Prince  of  Wales  been  there 
he  would  have  been  entitled  to  a  seat  on  the  platform, 
in  "  war-paint  and  feathers,"  for  he  was  made  a  Chief 
of  the  Mohawks  in  1860. 

I  was  not  born  with  a  "  caul  "  on  my  head,  nor  was 
any  mark  indicative  of  greatness  or  good  fortune  dis 
covered  on  any  part  of  my  body;  on  the  contrary,  I  was 
more  dead  than  alive  when  born — I  was  "  black  as  the 
ace  of  spades "  in  the  face,  and  for  hours  it  was 
thought  I  was  dead. 

When  I  was  three  days  old  an  Indian  woman,  the 
daughter  of  a  chief  and  a  famous  "  medicine  woman," 
as  sorceress,  came  and  demanded  to  see  me.  I  had 
been  crying  almost  incessantly  from  the  time  of  draw 
ing  my  first  breath.  The  "  chieftainess,"  as  she  might 
be  called,  for  among  the  Indians  the  chieftainship 
descends  by  and  through  the  woman,  performed  some 
ceremony  over  me  like  what  among  the  Mormons  is 
called  the  "laying  on  of  hands/'  supplemented  with 
various  breathings  upon  my  head  and  into  the  air 
toward  the  four  corners  of  the  earth.  She  then 
walked  out  of  the  house  leaving  me  in  a  deep  sleep.  I 
slept  for  so  many  hours  after  the  woman  left  that  my 
mother  thought  I  was  dead,  and  raised  the  "death 
wail."  As  my  mother  could  not  wake  me  she  thought 
I  was  either  dead  or  bewitched,  for  even  her  own  people 
said  the  "  chieftainess  "  was  a  witch  and  stood  in  awe 
of  her  incantations. 

It  is  stated  by  several  writers  of  credit  that  the 
*'  powahs,"  or  wizards,  of  most  tribes  of  North  Ameri- 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  1 9 

can  Indians,  understand,  and  from  time  immemorial, 
have  practiced,  animal  magnetism;  now,  as  this  chiefs 
daughter  was  learned  in  all  the  secret  lore  and  myster 
ies  of  the  medicine  men  and  conjurers,  I  am  quite 
confident  that  about  all — all  in  fact — she  did,  was  to 
mesmerize  me. 

When  I  was  about  two  years  old  this  Indian  woman 
again  came  to  see  me  and  again  left  me  asleep.  My 
mother  thought  I  was  in  a  natural  sleep  until  the  woman 
had  gone,  and  an  attempt  was  made  to  arouse  me. 
When  she  discovered  that  she  could  not  awaken  me 
she  thought  I  was  either  about  to  die,  or  the  woman 
had  bewitched  me,  but  in  a  few  hours  I  awoke  in  good 
health  as  before. 


CHAPTER  II. 

"  THE  SKY-SIFTER." 

The  Indian  woman  I  have  spoken  of  as  having  the 
reputation  of  being  a  witch  was  really  a  "  powahness," 
and  knew  more  of  the  ancient  mysteries  of  her  race 
than  any  person,  man  or  woman,  then  in  that  country. 
Her  height  was  nearly  six  feet  and  she  was  as  straight 
as  a  lance.  Her  features  were  regular  and  beautiful, 
but  her  countenance  was  serious  to  the  verge  of  sever 
ity,  and  when  aroused  her  eyes — always  piercing — 
flamed  like  living  coals.  Not  one  of  her  people  dared 
to  cross  or  contradict  her.  When  seated  in  a  chair  her 


20  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

hair,  which  she  wore  flowing  loosely,  swept  the  floor. 
She  was  married  to  a  white  man — a  Scotchman,  whose 
name  it  is  not  necessary  to  give — and  ordinarily  wore 
the  dress  of  the  whites.  In  any  dress  she  was  a  woman 
of  an  imposing  appearance — one  among  10,000 — but 
when  she  donned  her  full  Indian  dress  she  was  grand, 
almost  fearful,  for  she  put  on  with  it  the  proud  look  of 
a  line  of  Sachems  and  chiefs  extending  back  for  hun 
dreds  of  years,  even  to  Hayenwatha  (Hiawatha)  himself, 
as  she  proudly  claimed.  In  her  Indian  dress,  so  noise 
less  was  her  step,  so  supple,  swift  and  graceful  all  her 
movements,  that  on  seeing  her  one's  first  thoughts  were  of. 
a  panther. 

When  she  was  about  to  go  into  the  forest,  to  ascend 
the  hills,  or  go  out  upon  the  water  to  perform  her  in 
cantations,  she  always  appeared  in  full  Indian  costume; 
then  all,  both  red  and  white,  got  out  of  her  way,  for 
all  had  a  wholesome  fear  of  her  when  she  was  on  the 
"  warpath,"  as  they  called  it.  At  such  times  even  the 
Indians  declared  that  she  was  going  out  to  "  sacrifice 
to  the  devil." 

Her  Indian  name  was  "  Ga-on-ye-was,"  literally, 
She  Sifts  the  Skies,  but  her  people  usually  spoke  of 
her  as  "The  Sky-Sifter/'  She  had  two  daughters 
who  were  about  my  own  age.  One  of  these  she  called 
lc  Ken-yen-neen-tha,"  The  Snow  Drift,  and  the  other 
"  Sapana,"  The  Lily,  though  they  also  had  English 
names.  However,  this  is  the  fashion  among  all  the 
Indians  in  Canada;  indeed,  they  often  give  names  in 
their  language  to  such  whites  as  they  like,  and  to 
many  that  they  hate. 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  21 

When  I  was  about  five  years  of  age,  the  Sky-Sifter 
one  day  stole  me  away,  when  I  was  out  playing  at  the 
edg£  of  a  clearing,  and  hurrying  me  away  into  the 
woods,  went  through  some  kind  of  ceremony  over  me, 
during  which  she  gave  me  the  Indian  name  of  "Oron- 
ya-deka,"  Burning  Sky.  About  all  I  remember  of  this 
heathen  christening  is  that  the  Sky-Sifter  made  a  dense, 
white  smoke,  around  and  through  which  she  led  me. 
She  was  in  full  Indian  costume,  and  talked  a  great  deal 
in  a  low  voice.  At  the  conclusion  she  made  me  eat  a 
small  cake  made  of  corn,  then  took  her  medicine  stick 
and  struck  me  several  times  on  the  back  and  breast. 
She  then  led  me  back  to  the  edge  of  the  clearing,  and 
pointing  to  my  father's  house,  said:  "Go.  Say  noth 
ing."  After  this,  wherever  she  met  me,  she  gave  me 
my  Indian  name  of  "Oron-ya-deka;"  if  no  one  was 
watching,  she  also  gave  me  a  tap  with  her  medicine 
stick. 

As  to  names,  the  Indians  have  peculiar  notions.  At 
birth,  the  mother,  or  some  member  of  the  family,  gives 
a  child  what  may  be  called  its  "  baby  name."  She  (or 
a  relative)  looks  about,  and  gives  the  child  the  name 
of  the  first  object  of  a  striking  nature  that  attracts  her 
attention.  A  boy  so  named  is  expected  by  all  to  take 
a  new  name  when  he  "  makes  his  medicine,"  and  is 
of  an  age  to  go  on  the  warpath.  Then  some  great 
exploit  may  cause  him  to  take  a  different  name.  They 
are  superstitious  in  regard  to  names,  as  in  all  else,  and 
a  dream,  or  some  accident,  may  cause  a  brave  to  change 
his  name.  Some  have  a  dozen  different  names  in  the 
course  of  their  lives. 


22  THE    SKY-SIFTEK,    OR 

An  Indian  does  not  like  to  give  a  stranger  his  real 
name.  He  is  afraid  bad  use  will  be  made  of  it — fears 
some  spell  will  be  worked  upon  him  through  his  name. 
Suppose  his  name  to  be  Sho-kan-a-gea;  instead  of  giv 
ing  that  name,  he  will  give  an  Indian  word  signifying 
deer-slayer,  wolf-killer,  or  beaver-trapper — or  he  will 
give  some  one  of  the  names  he  has  assumed,  to  hide 
that  which  he  considers  to  be  his  real  name.  When  he 
becomes  a  warrior,  he  takes  a  name  from  some  exploit, 
and  this  name  he  is  willing  to  have  known,  but  it  is 
hard  to  get  at  his  secret  and  sacred  name — that  through 
which  "  bad  medicine  "  may  be  brought  to  bear  upon 
him.  This  is  the  name  which  indicates  the  "gens" 
to  which  he  belongs — wolf,  bear,  turtle,  snake,  or 
porcupine — and  is  derived  from  some  characteristic  or 
attribute  of  his  tutelary  god  or  spirit,  whose  totem  is 
the  wolf,  bear,  turtle,  snake,  or  porcupine.  This 
sacred  name  he  takes  when  he  makes  his  medicine, 
therefore  it  may  be  called  his  ' '  medicine  name."  Such 
was  the  name  given  me  by  the  Sky-Sifter.  A  Mohawk 
Indian  hearing  me  called  Oron-ya-deka,  would  at  once 
know  that  I  belonged  to  the  "  Turtles,"  as  the  name 
is  derived  from  the  event  of  the  "burning  sky,"  in 
the  myth  of  the  exploits  of  the  turtle  god,  my  tutelary 
deity,  as  well  as  of  the  ancient  set  apart  as  my  guide 
and  guardian,  and  whose  totem  was  inscribed  on  the 
prayer  or  medicine-stick  which  I  presently  received. 
Among  the  Indians  of  the  Six  Nations,  with  the  dignity 
of  Sachem  came  a  new  name.  The  old  name  being 
shed,  no  Indian  ever  again  mentioned  it.  They  never 
name  their  children  after  any  of  their  dead  great  men. 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  23 

No  boy  is  ever  found  bearing  the  name  of  a  great 
orator  or  warrior  who  has  gone  to  the  happy  hunting- 
grounds. 


CHAPTER  III. 

MY    YOUTHFUL    TRIBULATIONS. 

My  gift — affliction,  or  whatever  it  was — of  second- 
sight  soon  began  to  get  me  into  trouble.  When  I  was 
six  years  of  age  my  mother  went  to  Buffalo,  New  York, 
to  visit  a  friend,  and  took  me  with  her.  The  lady  at 
whose  house  we  were  visiting  had  lost  a  little  daughter, 
and  one  day  while  I  was  playing  about  the  floor  I  began 
talking.  My  mother  asked  who  I  was  talking  to.  I 
told  her  I  was  talking  to  a  little  girl  in  a  red  dress.  The 
lady  of  the  house  began  to  cry  and  left  the  room,  when 
my  mother  took  me  up  from  the  floor,  shook  me,  and 
boxed  my  ears,  telling  me  to  "  stop  talking  such  non 
sense."  This  was  a  lesson  that  I  remembered  for  some 
years,  and  when  I  saw  anything  strange  I  said  nothing 
to  my  mother,  but  told  the  Sky-Sifter  about  it  the  first 
time  I  met  her.  She  was  always  interested  and  ques 
tioned  me  very  closely.  One  day  when  I  told  her 
something  she  said  that  when  I  reached  the  age  for  it 
she  would  show  me  still  greater  things,  and  that  I  should, 
after  a  time,  carry  a  medicine  stick. 

Once  a  month,  from  infancy,  I  was  subject  to  fits  of 
unconsciousness,  falling  into  a  kind  of  trance  and  often 


24  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

falling  to  the  ground.  My  parents  thought  I  was  be 
witched,  and  my  father  said  a  spell  had  been  put  upon 
me  by  the  "  Cloud-Sifter."  When  I  was  quite  small, 
at  a  time  when  I  was  lying  in  one  of  my  trances,  my 
father  became  furious.  He  said  the  devil  was  in  me 
and  he  would  freeze  him  out.  He  picked  me  up  and 
threw  me  out  of  the  house  into  a  big  snow  drift.  I  lay 
in  the  drift  a  considerable  length  of  time  before  my 
father  would  allow  my  mother  to  bring  me  back  into 
the  house.  He  said  he  would  "  make  the  devil  glad  to 
go  back  to  his  own  warm  quarters."  .  Ten  minutes 
more  and  my  soul,  devil  and  all,  would  have  fled.  This 
occurrence  parted  my  father  and  mother  forever. 
Though  my  mother  still  thought  I  was  either  bewitched 
or  "possessed,"  rather  than  lose  me  she  was  willing  to 
keep  me,  devil  and  all. 

When  I  was  about  ten  years  of  age,  and  was  attend 
ing  school,  I  one  day  saw  a  strange  woman  standing 
behind  the  school-master.  I  wondered  how  she  got 
into  the  room,  as  I  had  not  seen  the  door  open.  How 
ever,  I  looked  upon  her  as  a  visitor  until  I  saw  that 
wherever  the  teacher  went  the  woman  moved  with  him. 
Presently,  when  the  master  came  near  me,  I  got  up  and, 
whispering,  asked  him  if  he  did  not  see  the  woman 
standing  behind  him. 

He  wheeled  about  quickly,  and,  seeing  nothing, 
asked  me  what  I  meant  by  "  such  a  trick." 

I  said:  "A  tall  woman  has  been  following  you  all 
about  the  house  for  half  an  hour."  At  this  all  the 
children  of  the  school  began  to  giggle.  They  thought 
I  was  playing  a  fine  rig  on  the  school-master. 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  25 

The  teacher  grew  red  with  rage,  and  lost  no  time  in 
giving  me  a  fine  dose  of  "  oil  of  birch." 

After  giving  me  about  a  dozen  lashes  the  master 
asked:  "Do  you  still  see  a  woman?" 

I  was  crying  bitterly,  but  I  raised  my  head  and 
looked.  "Yes,  sir,"  said  I,  between  my  sobs,  "  but 
she  is  very  white  now  and  her  eyes  are  shut." 

The  master  looked  behind  again,  then  stared  at  me 
for  some  moments,  when  he  asked:  "Are  you  sick  ? " 

"No,  sir,"  said  I. 

"Take  your  books  and  go  home,"  said  he;  "this 
evening  I'll  call  and  see  your  mother." 

I  went  home,  and  when  I  told  rny  mother  what  had 
happened  she  boxed  my  ears  and  said  it  was  a  plan  I 
had  taken  to  get  myself  turned  out  of  the  school. 

What  passed  between  my  mother  and  the  school 
master  I  never  knew,  for  I  was  sent  out  of  the  house 
as  soon  as  he  arrived.  Two  days  after  news  came  to 
the  school-master  of  the  death  of  his  sister,  who  lived 
about  fifty  miles  away. 

As  all  the  children  of  the  school  had  told  at  their 
homes  the  story  of  my  trick  on  the  school-master  and 
the  whipping  I  had  received,  the  whole  matter  made  a 
great  noise  in  the  neighborhood  when  news  came  of  the 
death  of  the  teacher's  sister.  I  heard  them  say  that 
she  died  at  the  very  hour  I  had  seen  her  in  the  school- 
house.  This  puzzled  me  not  a  little.  I  had  never 
seen  any  one  die,  but  I  concluded  that  she  must  have 
died  when  she  turned  so  white  and  shut  her  eyes.  I,  at 
that  time,  thought  the  woman  present  in  the  flesh.  ; 

My  poor  mother  was  overwhelmed.     She  knew  not 


26  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

what  to  think.  She  wept  every  time  she  looked  at  me 
for  a  day  or  two,  and  one  day  a  preacher  and  several 
persons  came  and  prayed  over  me. 

It  was  then  supposed  that  the  "evil  spirit"  had  r^een 
driven  out  of  me,  and  I  was  permitted  to  leave  the 
house  (where  I  had  been  kept  a  sort  of  prisoner  for 
some  days)  and  roam  at  will. 

I  had  not  been  playing  about  the  clearing  very  long 
before  I  heard  the  bleating  of  a  fawn.  I  stopped  and 
listened.  The  cries  were  near  at  hand  in  the  edge  of 
the  forest,  and  there  was  in  them  a' sound  of  great  dis 
tress.  I  dashed  away  at  once,  thinking  a  fawn  had  got 
fast  in  the  brush  and  that  I  might  catch  it. 

After  I  had  entered  the  wood  a  distance  of  fifty  yards, 
1  stopped  to  listen,  as  the  bleatings  had  ceased.  Soon 
came  two  or  three  low  sobbing  cries,  not  faraway,  and 
I  turned  and  ran  in  that  direction,  expecting  to  find  the 
fawn  dying. 

Suddenly  I  was  confronted  by  the  Sky-Sifter,  who 
stepped  out  from  behind  a  mighty  oak  that  lay  in  my 
path.  I  had  almost  run  into  her  arms,  and  I  stood  be 
wildered  before  her.  She  was  in  her  Indian  costume 
and  the  eagle  feather  she  wore  in  the  beaded  band  that 
confined  her  hair  made  her  look  taller,  as  it  seemed  to 
me,  than  any  human  being  I  had  ever  seen. 

«'  What  are  you  looking  for,  Oron-ya-deka  ?  "  said  she, 
in  a  low,  calm  voice. 

"Fora  fawn,"  said  I — "I  heard  one  crying." 

"No,"  said  she,  "you  heard  me  calling  you;  so" — 
and  drawing  a  sort  of  whistle  from  the  fold  of  her  robe 
she  produced  the  same  plaintive  bleating  sounds  I  had 


MYSTERIES   OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  27 

heard.     "  Wherever  you  hear  that   call  come  and  you 
will  find  me,"  said  she. 

She  then  told  me  she  had  heard  all  the  talk  about 
what  had  happened  at  the  school-house.  It  did  not 
surprise  her  in  the  least.  She  questioned  me  very 
closely  in  regard  to  the  appearance  of  the  woman  and 
how  long  she  remained  in  sight.  She  told  me  that 
what  I  had  seen  was  not  a  living  woman,  which  was  a 
surprise  to  me.  She  said  it  was  only  the  shade  or 
image  of  a  woman,  and  this  she  explained  by  showing  me 
my  image  and  her  own  in  a  small  mirror.  She  told  me 
how  to  distinguish  between  living  persons  and  mere 
shades.  After  she  had  schooled  me  fora  time  in  this  I 
remembered  that  the  woman  I  had  seen  was  far  from 
having  so  substantial  an  appearance  as  her  brother,  the 
school-master.  When  I  explained  the  difference  as  fully 
as  I  was  able,  she  said:  "  Your  eyes  are  good  and  you 
shall  be  a  great  powahn."  She  then  showed  me  a  sign 
that  she  would  make  when  she  wanted  to  see  me,  how 
to  follow  her  at  a  distance,  and  how  to  find  her.  She 
charged  me  to  speak  to  no  one  of  having  seen  her  or  of 
our  talks,  and  then  sent  me  home,  clipping  a  lock  of  hair 
from  my  head  just  as  I  was  leaving.  I  went  slowly  away, 
and  when  I  reached  the  fence  that  surrounded  our  clear 
ing  I  perched  myself  upon  the  top  rail  to  think  over  all 
the  Cloud-Sifter  had  told  me.  Presently  I  heard  what 
I  thought  was  the  drumming  of  a  partridge,  and  getting 
a  handful  of  stones  I  started  to  hunt  the  bird. 

As  I  crept  along  I  found  that  I  was  going  toward  the 
place  where  I  had  left  the  Sky-Sifter.  Dropping  on 
my  knees  and  peering  beneath  the  underbrush,  I  saw  a 


28  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

thick  white  smoke  about  the  oak  and  something  whirl 
ing  about  in  it.  My  curiosity  was  excited,  and  I  was 
about  creeping  closer  when  near  me  I  heard  a  slight 
jingle  of  bells.  Turning  about  I  saw  some  low  bushes 
parted  as  by  the  hands  of  a  human  being,  then  appeared 
the  head  of  a  wolf  with  open  and  snapping  mouth. 

When  I  again  turned  for  home  I  was  not  long  in  get 
ting  there.  I  said  nothing  of  the  wolf  to  my  mother,  as 
I  feared  being  again  forbidden  to  go  out,  but  when  I 
next  saw  the  Sky-Sifter  I  told  her  of  the  drumming  I 
had  heard  and  the  wolf  I  had  seen.  "Oron-ya-deka," 
said  she,  "  when  I  send  you  away  from  me  do  not  re 
turn,  or  some  time  you  may  see  worse  than  the  wolf." 
I  afterwards  made  the  acquaintance  of  the  "  wolf  "and 
found  it  to  be  but  a  demi-quadruped. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

A    HISTORICAL    CASE. 

Many  examples  of  apparitions  being  seen  under  cir 
cumstances  similar  to  those  under  which  I  saw  that  of 
the  school-master's  sister,  might  be  given  from  the  pages 
of  medical  writers  and  others  who  have  made  a  study 
of  such  matters.  I  give  the  following  from  the  works 
of  Latour,  a  French  physician  and  scientist,  because 
from  the  length  of  time  the  vision  endured,  it  resem 
bles  my  experience  in  the  school-house.  In  a  village 
near  Paris,  France,  resided  a  young  lady  who  is  men- 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  29 

tioned  only  as  "Mademoiselle  N ."     Latour  says: 

"All  her  family  had  one  Sunday  gone  to  church,  leav 
ing  her  at  home  alone.  Presently  a  violent  storm  arose. 

Mademoiselle  N went    to   a  window  to  watch    its 

effects;  suddenly  the  idea  of  her  father  being  in  danger 
came  into  her  head.  She  feared  an  accident  had  hap 
pened  him.  In  order  to  conquer  this  feeling  she  went 
into  a  room  in  which  she  was  accustomed  to  see  him 
seated  in  his  arm-chair.  On  entering,  she  was  much 
surprised  at  seeing  him  in  his  place,  and  in  his  accus 
tomed  attitude.  She  immediately  approached  to  inquire 
how  he  had  come  in,  and,  in  addressing  him,  attempted 
to  place  her  hand  on  his  shoulder,  but  she  encountered 
only  space.  Very  much  alarmed,  she  drew  back,  and, 
turning  her  head  as  she  left  the  room,  still  saw  him  in 
the  same  attitude.  More  than  half  an  hour  elapsed 
from  the  time  she  first  saw  the  apparition  until  its  de 
parture.  During  this  time  Miss  N had  the  courage 

to  several  times  enter  the  room,  and  carefully  examine 
the  arrangement  of  objects,  and  especially  the  chair 
and  the  figure  seated  in  it,  believing  that  as  she  could 
feel  nothing  it  must  be  a  mere  hallucination  or  optical 
illusion." 

An  hour  later  a  messenger  arrived  to  inform  her  that 
her  father  had  been  killed  by  a  stroke  of  lightning  that 
had  demolished  a  portion  of  the  church  and  injured 
many  persons. 


30  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

CHAPTER  V. 

ANOTHER  STRANGE   EXPERIENCE. 

Not  very  long  after  I  was  turned  out  of  school  I  again 
got  into  trouble  by  speaking  of  a  thing  that  I  supposed 
was  one  not  in  the  line  of  forbidden  subjects  or  the 
same  category  as  apparitions.  The  cholera  was  raging 
(September,  1832,)  at  Port  Colborne,  a  town  on  Lake 
Erie,  about  twenty  miles  from  my  home,  and  a  man 
who  had  at  one  time  lived  at  my  mother's  house  died 
of  the  disease,  as  was  supposed,  and  he  was  buried. 
My  mother  attended  the  funeral  and  when  she  returned 
brought  home  with  her  the  widow. 

When  they  came  home  I  told  them  the  man  was  not 
dead,  as  I  had  seen  him  "moving  in  his  box"  while 
they  were  filling  up  the  grave.  As  may  well  be 
imagined,  this  gave  the  widow  a  great  shock  and  caused 
a  wild  renewal  of  her  grief.  My  mother  led  me  out  of 
the  house  and  gave  me  a  severe  switching  for  talking  as 
I  had  done.  "  O,  my  child,"  said  she,  "  why  did  you 
do  it?  Why  do  you  say  such  things?"  I  told  her 
that  while  the  grave  was  being  filled  up  and  they  were 
all  standing  around,  I  had  seen  the  man  moving  in  the 
i(  box,"  and  thought  they  would  be  glad  to  know  that 
he  was  alive.  She  saw  that  I  was  honest,  and  after 
gazing  at  me  curiously  for  some  moments,  she  said, 
<(  God  help  the  child!  "  then'turned  and  went  into  the 
house.  After  three  sleepless  nights,,  in  which  the  woman 
was  constantly  imagining  her  husband  alive  in  his 
grave,  the  two  women  returned  to  Port  Colborne  to 
investigate.  The  grave  was  opened  and  the  corpse 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  31 

found  face  down  in  the  coffin,  the  nails  torn  off  the 
fingers,  and  other  signs  of  a  horrible  struggle. 

Had  they  instantly  returned  when  I  told  them  the 
man  was  alive,  it  is,  and  always  has  been,  my  belief 
that  his  life  would  have  been  saved.  As  this  man, 
during  life,  was  well-known  to  my  Indian  Godmother, 
she  may  have  sent  me,  in  spirit,  to  look  after  him. 

My  condition  of  mind  when  seeing  such  things  at  a 
distance  is  difficult  to  explain.  It  is  a  sort  of  self-mag 
netism,  or,  to  speak  more  accurately,  involuntary  hyp 
notism,  for  I  have  never  made  any  effort  to  throw  my 
self  into  the  condition.  When  looking  upon  a  scene  at 
a  distance  (as  in  the  case  of  the  man  who  revived  in  his 
coffin)  I  neither  see  nor  hear  anything  that  may  be 
passing  near  me;  I  do  not  believe  I  move  even  so  much 
as  my  eyelids — I  am  as  one  dead  for  some  moments. 
The  intellectual  part  of  my  being — vital  essence,  spirit, 
soul,  or  whatever  else  you  may  choose  to  call  it — has, 
for  the  moment,  left  its  "  house  of  flesh."  In  regard  to 
seeing  shapes  or  shades,  as  in  the  case  of  the  sister  of 
the  school-master,  it  is  different.  My  soul  or  spiritual 
essence  is  at  home.  I  seem  to  see  with  both  eyes  and 
brain.  There  are  several  nervous  conditions  of  the 
"human  animal"  which  are  either  ignored,  hastily 
passed  over,  or  classed  with  hallucinations  and  illu 
sions,  by  most  medical  writers,  because  they  cannot  be 
explained;  these  are  prevision,  clairvoyance,  second- 
sight,  animal  magnetism,  hypnotism,  and  the  like. 
There  are  apparently  several  names  for  the  same  little- 
understood  thing,  which  is  so  ethereal  and  elastic  as  to 
escape  the  grasp  in  the  present  condition  of  mental 


32  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

science.  One  physician,  speaking  of  these  phenomena, 
honestly  says:  "There  are,  however,  some  of  these 
things  which  appear  to  spring  from  an  enlarged  faculty 
of  perception,  a  supernatural  intuition." 

Sometime  the  .phenomena  of  the  ethereal  part  of  man, 
of  which  glimpses  are  now  obtained  in  animal  magnet 
ism,  hypnotism,  and  prevision,  will  attract  the  attention 
of  minds  capable  of  their  investigation  and  able  to 
grasp  and  hold  them,  notwithstanding  their  subtleness 
and  elusive  nature.  Men  of  the  highest  intelligence 
have  recognized  the  truth  of  cases  of  prevision,  while 
acknowledging  ignorance  of  the  causes.  The  great 
Machiavel  says:  "It  is  very  desirable  that  the  matter 
should  be  investigated  by  men  learned  in  phenomena, 
both  natural  and  supernatural,  an  advantage  I  do  not 
possess.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  facts  are  undeniable." 
Le  Maistre  says:  "Man,  by  attempting  at  all  times, 
and  in  all  places,  to  dive  into  the  future,  declares  that 
he  is  not  formed  for  time,  for  time  is  a  forced  thing, 
that  only  desires  to  come  to  an  end."  Lord  Bacon  says: 
"It  is  not  to  be  denied,  though  we  are  ignorant  of  the 
cause,  that  there  are  striking  examples  of  prevision 
(foreknowledge)  of  the  future  in  dreams,  in  ecstasies, 
and  at  the  approach  of  death."  Aretee  also  says: 
"  Nothing  is  more  surprising  than  the  observations 
sometimes  made  by  patients,  in  the  midst  of  their  parox 
ysms,  the  propositions  they  advance,  and  the  objects 
they  behold.  Their  senses  are  exalted;  their  minds 
possess  great  subtlety  and  an  extraordinary  power  of 
[>enetrating  into  the  future." 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

TWO    CELEBRATED    AND  SINGULAR  CASES. 

Not  wishing  to  appear  singular  and  superstitious  in 
regard  to  the  supernatural  occurrences  which  I  have 
given,  and  which  I  have  yet  to  relate,  I  shall  give  two 
famous  and  well-authenticated  cases  of  what  may  be 
termed  soul  communication.  The  first  is  vouched  for 
by  the  celebrated  Abbe  de  St.  Pierre  as  authentic. 
Two  students,  who  were  great  friends,  but  young  and 
foolish,  had  much  talk  of  the  future  state  of  man.  They 
agreed  that  the  one  who  died  first  should  revisit  the 
survivor,  and,  to  make  the  compact  which  they  drew 
up  more  solemn,  they  signed  it  with  their  blood. 

The  name  of  one  of  the  young  men  was  Bezuel,  and 
that  of  the  other,  Desfontaines.  Soon  after  the  agree 
ment  had  been  made  between  the  two,  Desfontaines 
left  the  school  and  went  to  the  City  of  Caen.  This 
was  in  December,  1696. 

In  July,  1697,  Bezuel  was  at  the  house  of  a  friend 
named  De  Sortville,  on  whose  grounds  he  was  amusing 
himself  at  making  hay.  Suddenly  he  fell  to  the  ground. 
Those  who  lifted  him  up  asked  him  where  he  felt  pain. 
He  said,  "  I  feel  no  pain,  but  I  have  seen  that  which 
I  never  expected  to  see." 

They  placed  the  young  man  on  a  wooden  bench  in 
order  that  he  might  fully  recover.  Soon  he  arose  and 
walked  away  some  distance  by  himself.  Thinking  he 
had  wholly  recovered,  De  Sortville  returned  to  his 
employment.  A  little  groom,  however,  followed  him 
and  heard  him  asking  questions  and  making  answers; 


34  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

running  away,  he  told  his  fellow  servants  that  the  only 
thing  the  matter  with  Bezuel  was  that  he  was  drunk. 

After  a  time,  Bezuel  came  back  to  De  Sortville  look 
ing  greatly  distressed.  He  told  him  of  the  foolish 
compact  he  had  made  with  his  old  classmate,  Desfon- 
taines.  He  then  said,  "As  soon  as  I  was  seated  I  no 
longer  saw  you  nor  your  servants,  but  only  Desfon- 
taines,  who  signed  for  me  to  come  to  him.  I  arose, 
and,  as  he  stood  still,  I  went  to  meet  him.  He  took 
my  left  arm  with  his  right  hand  and  led  me  away,  as 
you  saw  me  go.  When  he  halted  he  turned  to  me  and 
said,  '  I  agreed  with  you  that  if  I  died  first,  I  would 
come  and  tell  you  so;  I  was  drowned  yesterday  at  this 
hour,  in  the  river  at  Caen,  in  company  with  a  friend 
you  do  not  know.  It  was  very  warm  and  I  took  a 
notion  to  bathe,  but  fainted  on  entering  the  water. 
The  Abbe  Meniljean,  my  companion,  plunged  in  to 
save  me;  I  seized  him  by  the  foot,  but  whether  from 
fear,  or  as  a  means  of  remounting  to  the  surface,  he  gave 
me  a  violent  kick  in  the  breast,  which  drove  me  again 
to  the  bottom  of  the  river,  which  was  very  deep  in  this 
spot,  and  I  was  drowned.'  "  Bezuel  further  .said,  "Des- 
fontaines  was  larger  than  in  life.  I  only  perceived  half 
his  body;  he  was  naked  and  without  a  hat.  On  his 
forehead,  upon  his  beautiful  light  hair,  was  a  white 
paper  containing  writing  which fl  could  not  decipher." 

News  soon  came  from  Caen  giving  the  particulars  of 
the  drowning  of  Desfontaines,  just  as  related.  At  the 
moment  his  shade  appeared  to  Bezuel  his  body  was 
lying  at  an  undertaker's;  covered  from  the  waist  to  the 
feet,  and  on  his  forehead  had  been  laid  a  paper  con- 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  35 

taining  his  name.  Such  is  a  condensed  account  of  an 
occurrence  of  which  several  long  and  minute  accounts 
were  written  by  De  Sortville  and  all  who  were  in  any 
way  connected  with  it. 

A  somewhat  similar  case  is  one  related  by  Baronius 
of  the  celebrated  apparition  of  Ficinus  to  Michel  Mer- 
catus.  These  illustrious  friends,  after  a  long  conversa 
tion  on  the  nature  of  the  soul, .agreed  that  whichever  of 
the  two  died  first,  should,  if  possible,  appear  to  the 
survivor  and  inform  him  of  the  nature  of  the  other 
world.  Sometime  afterwards,  while  Mercatus  was 
studying  philosophy,  early  in  the  morning  he  suddenly 
heard  the  sound  as  of  a  horse  galloping,  which  stopped 
at  his  door,  and  the  voice  of  his  friend  Ficinus,  who 
cried:  "  O!  Michel,  Michel!  All  those  things  are  true." 

Surprised  at  these  words,  Mercatus  arose  and  went 
to  the  window.  He  saw  his  friend,  with  his  back 
toward  him,  mounted  on  a  white  horse.  Mercatus 
called  to  him  and  followed  him  with  his  eyes  until  he 
disappeared.  He  soon  received  news  that  Ficinus  had 
died  at  the  City  of  Florence,  at  the  time  of  the  appari 
tion. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

MORE    OF    CHILDHOOD    DAYS. 

After  being  so  punished  and  scolded,  as  I  have 
related,  for  speaking  of  the  man  who  was  buried  alive,  I 
was  careful  not  to  tell  my  mother  of  the  things  1  saw. 


36  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

I  told  no  one  but  the  Indian  medicine  woman — the 
Sky-Sifter.  As  I  grew  older  I  saw  that  such  things 
greatly  distressed  my  mother;  then,  our  white  neigh 
bors  also  had  more  to  say  about  my  "case,"  as  they 
called  it,  than  I  liked  to  hear.  They  thought  me 
"  possessed,"  and  after  praying  and  psalm  singing  had 
proved  of  no  avail,  they  talked  of  roasting  alive  a 
black  cat  and  a  black  lamb.  At  some  of  the  cabins 
they  laid  a  broom  across  the  door  when  they  saw  me 
coming,  their  notion  being  that  no  witch  or  wizard 
dare  step  over  a  broomstick.  They  were  quite  n^n- 
plused  when  they  found  that  neither  brooms  nor 
horseshoes  inconvenienced  me  in  the  least. 

In  1875,  when  I  went  back  to  Canada,  my  mother 
told  me  a  thousand  things  I  had  said  and  done  as  a 
child,  about  which  I  had  no  recollection;  indeed,  I 
remembered  only  those  for  which  I  had  received  whip 
pings.  It  appears  that  I  told  my  mother  many  things, 
the  significance  of  which  I  did  not  know — things  that 
seemed  to  me  only  the  ordinary  matters  of  life,  but 
which  were  to  her  very  startling,  particularly  when  she 
found  that  what  I  told  her  of  had  happened  at  the 
very  moment,  in  places  many  miles  away.  Often,  when 
rolling  about  on  the  floor,  I  would  jump  up,  clap  my 
hands,  and  tell  my  mother  that  this  or  that  person  was 
coming,  and  presently  the  person  named  appeared. 
I  did  not  know  at  that  time  but  all  persons  could  see 
such  things  as  well  as  myself,  provided  they  cared  to 
pay  attention  to  them. 

When  I  told  my  mother  that  I  still  had  my  trance- 
like  spells,  about  the  same  time  each  month,  and  often 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  37 

saw  the  shapes  or  shades  of  people  and  places,  she 
said:  "  Yes,  and  it  will  be  so  all  your  life.  Atone 
time  I  thought  you  would  outgrow  all  this,  or  that  it 
could  be  driven  out  of  you,  but  it  will  end  only  with 
your  life." 

She  laid  it  all  at  the  door  of  the  Sky-Sifter,  and  told 
me  a  thing  I  had  never  before  heard.  She  said  that 
one  day  the  Indian  woman,  in  all  her  savage  finery, 
came  to  the  house  when  she  was  alone,  and,  marching 
up  to  her,  tapped  her  on  both  shoulders  with  her  medi 
cine  stick,  crying,  tf  White  woman,  I  wish  you  joy!  " 

My  mother  was  terribly  frightened,  but  presently 
asked  why  she  wished  her  joy.  '«  Because,"  said  the 
Sky-Sifter,  "in  a  few  months  you  will  have  a  son.  I 
have  no  son  and  never  shall  have  one,  but  am  glad  you 
.are  to  have  one.  I  shall  like  him.  Also,  you  should 
thank  me,  as,  but  for  me,  your  son  would  have  been  a 
daughter.  You  do  not  believe  this,  but  I  will  give  you 
a  sign  by  which  you  will  know  what  I  say  is  true.  Your 
son  will  have  sick  spells  every  month,  as  long  as  he 
lives,  and  strange  spells  they  will  be,  with  his  double 
nature." 

Having  said  this,  the  Sky-Sifter  turned  and  walked 
out  of  the  house,  and  did  not  again  make  her  appear 
ance  until  after  I  was  born,  as  already  related. 

What  my  mother  told  me  greatly  astonished  me — in 
fact,  sent  cold  chills  along  my  spine.  In  California,  I 
had  consulted  several  physicians  about  my  sick  spells. 
Two  of  them,  who  gave  great  attention  to  my  symp 
toms,  had  told  me  the  same  thing.  They  said,  "We 
can  do  you  no  good;  the  fact  is,  you  were  cut  out  for 


38  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

a  woman,  but  spoiled  in  the  making!"  I  thought  they 
were  merely  saying  this  because  of  my  sickness  being 
governed  by  a  lunar  period,  but  now  I  saw  how  I  had 
been  "  spoiled  in  the  making."  There  are  doctors 
now  living  in  California  who  will  say  that  they  told  me 
this  before  I  saw  my  mother  in  1875. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

EXPERIENCES    WITH  DESIGNING    PERSONS. 

But  I  must  return  to  the  story  of  my  boyhood  days. 
I  have  mentioned  the  horseshoe  and  broom-handle  ex 
periments  that  were  made  on  me  by  some  of  our  neigh 
bors.  I  have  now  to  mention  another  class  of  people, 
and  generally  men  of  some  means — a  few  rich  men, 
even.  All  had,  of  course,  heard  of  some  of  the  things 
I  had  said  and  done,  and  several  began  to  see  money 
in  getting  hold  of  me.  They  would  get  me  aside  and 
propose  to  me  to  show  them  hidden  treasures,  lead, 
copper  and  silver  mines,  and  I  know  not  what  else.  I 
hardly  knew  what  they  meant,  and  their  eagerness  and 
big  promises  of  money  startled  me.  I  thought  they  in 
tended  to  get  me  to  help  them  in  robberies.  Had  I 
been  dishonest  and  cunning  I  might  have  reaped  a 
golden  harvest  from  these  fellows.  I  could  easily 
have  got  out  of  them  both  gold  and  silver,  with  which 
to  make  a  start,  and  "  salt  "  a  few  places  with  a  stray 
coin  or  two,  when  I  would  have  had  them  all  paying 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  39 

regular  assessments,  as  I  might  demand.  Another 
class  came  bothering  me  to'  search  for  things  that  had 
been  lobt  or  stolen.  I  told  them  I  knew  nothing  about 
such  things,  that  what  I  saw  came  of  itself  and  I  had 
never  been  shown  any  money  or  goods.  They  would 
then  offer  me  money  to  go  with  them  and  make  a  trial 
of  my  powers  in  that  line.  I  always  refused,  saying  I 
did  not  want  to  get  money  in  that  way,  which  was  the 
truth,  for  at  that  time  I  cared  nothing  about  money, 
and  knew  little  about  the  value  of  it.  Nearly  all  went 
away  angry  with  me,  and  more  than  one  called  me  a 
"little  fool." 

After  I  was  twelve  years  of  age  I  was  much  with  my 
"witch  mother,"  or  "witch  father,"  the  Sky-Sifter, 
but  I  did  not  then  know  the  pains  she  had  taken  to  pre 
vent  my  being  born  a  girl,  or  that  she  had  at  all  troubled 
herself  in  regard  to  the  shape  in  which  I  was  to  come 
into  the  world;  yet  she  strangely  fascinated  me  and  had 
great  power  over  me.  When  I  heard  her  call  I 
dropped  all  and  hastened  to  her.  It  was  not  always 
the  bleating  of  a  fawn  that  called  me.  She  was  con 
stantly  adding  to  the  number  of  her  calls,  new  ones.  As 
soon  as  I  was  perfect  in  one  she  gave  me  another.  At 
times  she  would  give  me  several  at  the  same  time.  She 
could  imitate  every  creature  found  in  the  forests  of 
Canada.  I  could  distinguish  her  call  by  nothing  save 
the  key-note  she  gave.  At  the  same  time  she  was  drill 
ing  me  in  the  Indian  sign  language.-  She  said  I  must 
have  that,  as  it  was  known  to  all  tribes  in  America. 
She  also  left  signs  in  the  woods  that  I  could  follow. 
She  would  often  say  to  rne:  "Oron-ya-deka,  you  shall 


40  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

be  a  Mohawk  in  everything  but  color.     I  can't  change 
the  color  of  your  skin." 

The  strange  thing  is  that  all  the  time  we  met  in  pub 
lic  as  strangers,  or  as  persons  but  slightly  acquainted. 
Often  when  we  met  she  did  not  even  look  at  me,  but  at 
the  same  time  one  of  her  hands  said  something  to  me. 


CHAPTER    IX. 

MAGIC    ARTS    OF    THE     SKY-SIFTER. 

At  times,  the  Sky-Sifter  took  me  into  secret  recesses 
in  the  heart  of  the  primeval  forest,  where  she  per 
formed  the  rites  of  a  priestess  of  some  aboriginal  school 
of  ancient  necromancy.  I  was  permitted  to  witness 
the  kindling  of  the  sacred  fire,  which  was  done  by  rub 
bing  together  two  sticks;  to  see  the  talismans  spread 
about,  and  was  even  made  to  participate  in  certain 
parts  of  the  ceremonies.  The  gums  and  herbs  used  by 
the  Indian  seeress  produced  a  dense  and  pungent  white 
smoke,  when  placed  in  the  fire.  Around  this  fire  I  was 
made  to  march  in  the  thick  smoke,  the  Sky-Sifter  guid 
ing  me  with  her  medicine  stick  or  magic  wand. 

The  fumes  I  inhaled  always  threw  me  into  a  sort  of 
trance,  on  recovering  from  which  I  would  find  myself 
seated  with  my  back  against  a  tree,  and  the  seeress 
bathing  my  face  with  some  kind  of  aromatic  wash. 

I  liked  the  exhilarating  effect  that  was  produced  by 
the  smoke,  and  always  felt  well  after  it.  I  did  not 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  41 

then  know  the  object  of  these  "  smoke  baths,"  but  am 
now  of  the  opinion  that  she  put  me  under  the  influence 
of  certain  herbs  in  order  to  question  me  about  persons 
and  things— sending  me  in  the  spirit  whither  she 
listed. 

After  I  had  been  restored  to  my  normal  state,  she 
would  herself  pass  into  the  smoke,  after  throwing  fresh 
herbs  and  powders  into  the  fire.  What  she  put  into 
the  fire  did  not  stupefy  her;  on  the  contrary,  it  greatly 
exhilarated  and  exalted  her.  She  chanted  a  song  in  a 
low  voice,  but  in  a  tone  so  fierce  that  it  was  quite 
startling;  and  she  was  so  vehement  in  her  dancing  that 
I  could  feel  the  ground  quiver,  though  seated  several 
feet  away.  With  hair — which  reached  nearly  down  to 
her  knees — streaming  and  whipping  about  as  she 
rapidly  whirled  around  through  the  medicated  vapor 
that  arose  from  her  sacred  fire,  she  seemed  a  veritable 
pythoness. 

When  she  had  got  to  the  end  of  her  medicine  stick 
(there  were  cabalistic  characters  engraved  upon  it,  at 
which  she  looked  from  time  to  time),  and  ended  her 
dance,  she  carefully  covered  the  remains  of  her  fire, 
and  swept  dry  leaves  over  the  spot.  Then  she  would 
seat  herself,  and  give  me  a  short  lesson  in  the  sign  lan 
guage,  or  talk  to  me  of  Hayenwatha  (Hiawatha),  or 
other  ancients  of  her  race,  when  she  would  send  me 
home. 

The  precise  object  of  these  incantations  I  never 
knew,  but  I  am  now  of  the  opinion  that  when  she  had 
placed  me  in  a  certain  condition  with  her  drugs,  she 
found  me  a  good  subject,  and  used  me  for  the  purpose 


42  THE     SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

of  obtaining  the  confirmation  of  things  shown  her,  but 
in  regard  to  which  she  had  doubts.  What  strengthens 
me  in  this  opinion  is,  that  on  two  or  three  occasions, 
after  I  had  come  out  of  the  medicated  smoke,  there 
remained  in  my  mind  vivid  pictures  of  scenes  that  did 
not  wholly  fade  away  for  some  hours.  One  of  these — 
and  one  that  made  a  strong  impression  on  my  mind  at 
the  time — showed  me  a  great  lake,  on  which  were  many 
canoes  filled  with  Indians.  They  were  approaching  a 
rocky  island  on  which,  at  the  water's  edge,  stood  a 
woman  who  was  the  ex^act  image  of  the  Sky-Sifter  her 
self,  dress,  long  hair,  and  all  else. 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  USE  OF  HERBS  AND  DRUGS,   AND  THEIR  EFFECTS. 

The  medicine  men  or  powans — magicians  or  cunning 
men — of  all  tribes,  make  great  use  of  herbs,  gums,  seeds, 
and  the  like.  It  may  be  thought  that  such  things  are 
not  sufficiently  potent  to  produce  the  effects  I  have 
described;  but  a  little  study  of  the  subject  will  show 
doubters  that  they  have  been  used  for  the  same  pur 
poses  in  all  countries  and  all  ages.  The  ancient  Egyp 
tians  used  many  preparations  of  the  kind,  as  their 
''bora/'  "bus,"  "affion,"  "  bernari,"  and  "nepen 
the."  The  composition  of  these  is  now  lost,  but  it  is 
known  that  all  were  of  a  soothing  or  an  exhilarating 
nature.  It  is  supposed  that  opium  or  hashish  entered 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  43 

largely  into  the  composition  of  most  of  the  preparations. 
Milton  speaks  of  the  nepenthe  as  follows: 

"  Not  that  Nepenthes,  which  the  wife  of  Thone 
In  Egypt  gave  to  Jove-born  Helena, 
Is  of  such  power  to  stir  up  joy  as  this." 

In  preparing  candidates  for  initiation  into  their 
sacred  mysteries,  the  ancients  nearly  always  gave  them 
beverages  that  had  the  effect  of  narcotics,  and  the 
caves  and  temples  to  which  persons  went  to  consult 
the  oracles  were  filled  with  the  smoke  of  burning  resins 
and  herbs. 

In  Siberia  and.Kamtschatka,  when  a  native  "  Schu- 
man "  (medicineman)  is  consulted,  he  swallows  an 
infusion  of  a  kind  of  mushroom  common  there — the 
"muchamore" — when  he  goes  into  a  sort  of  ecstasy 
which  is  followed  by  a  deep  sleep.  While  under  the 
influence  of  the  fungus  he  claims  that  a  spirit  (that 
residing  in  the  mushroom)  reveals  to  him  the  informa 
tion  desired. 

The  plants  used  in  many  places  in  ancient  times  by 
sibyls,  enchanters,  and  sorcerers,  are  nearly  all  poison 
ous  in  large  doses,  and  produced  ehher  exhilarating  or 
narcotic  effects.  Among  these  were  henbane,  hellebore, 
nightshade  of  several  varieties,  the  poppy,  Indian  hemp, 
datura,  and  a  score  of  others,  knowledge  of  some  of 
which  is  now  lost.  A.  Laguna,  in  his  commentaries 
on  Dioscorides,  mentions  a  kind  of  solanum,  the  root 
of  which,  taken  in  wine,  a  drachm  to  a  dose,  fills  the 
imagination  with  the  most  delicious  illusions.  Pliny 
says:  "The  potomantes,  or  thalassegle,  grows  on  the 
banks  of  the  Indus,  and  the  gelatophellis  near  Bactria. 


44  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

Infusions  of  these  two  plants,  made  into  a  drink,  cause 
delirium;  the  one  causes  extraordinary  visions,  the 
other  excites  continual  laughter." 

Scores  of  similar  plants,  still  well  known  (and  some 
but  recently  discovered),  might  be  mentioned.  No  min 
eral  preparation  known  to  the  chemists  is  more  potent 
than  are  many  of  those  that  are  purely  vegetable.  In 
America  are  found  representatives  of  all  the  plants 
known  in  the  Old  World,  and  many  others  that  were 
unknown  to  the  ancients.  In  the  ages  that  the  red  men 
have  inhabited  this  continent  their  "wise  men"  have 
made  many  wonderful  discoveries,  few  of  which  have 
ever  been  communicated  to  the  whites. 

The  ointments  used  by  the  so-called  witches  of 
Europe,  in  ancient  times,  were  composed  largely  of  night 
shade,  henbane,  opium,  and  other  soporifics.  The  per 
son  anointed  with  these  fell  into  a  sleep  that  was  full  of 
visions.  Llorente,  in  his  "  History  of  the  Inquisition," 
says:  "  A  witch  was  found,  in  1545,  in  possession  of 
an  ointment  composed  of  stupefying  drugs.  Andre 
Laguna,  physician  to  Pope  Julius  III.,  used  it  to 
anoint  a  woman  who  was  attacked  with  frenzy  and  rest 
lessness.  She  slept  for  thirty-six  hours,  and,  when  they 
succeeded  in  waking  her,  complained  that  they  had 
brought  her  back  from  paradise." 

Varron,  quoted  by  St.  Augustin,  says  the  Italian 
sorceresses  enticed  the  too  confiding  travelers  to  follow 
them,  and  made  them  eat  of  a  cheese  containing  a 
drug,  which  changed  them  into  beasts  of  burden.  They 
then  loaded  them  with  their  baggage,  and,  at  the 
end  of  the  journey,  changed  them  again  into  their 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  45 

natural  forms.  St.  Augustin  says:  "  Under  these 
figurative  expressions,  Varron,  who  surely  related  his 
own  experience,  it  is  evident  that  the  mind  of  the 
traveler  was  so  disturbed  by  the  drug  he  had  taken, 
that  he  blindly  submitted  to  its  singular  influence  (and 
was  used  as  a  porter)  until  the  magicians  put  an  end  to 
it  by  administering  an  antidote.  From  whence  the 
Indians  derived  their  custom  of  consulting  the  "  Great 
Spirit "  on  all  important  occasions  it  would  be  hard  to 
discover,  but  in  this  they  resemble  the  ancient  Greeks 
and  Romans.  It  is  well  known  that  the  ancients  con 
sulted  the  will  of  the  Deity  on  all  important  occasions 
of  both  public  and  private  life,  not  to  satisfy  curiosity, 
but  that  what  they  were  about  to  do  might  have  the 
sanction  of  the  Almighty.  They  seldom  addressed 
themselves  to  Zeus,  the  father  of  the  gods  and  men, 
but  to  one  of  the  lesser  gods,  or  to  dead  heroes,  as  Zeus 
(the  Almighty)  was  supposed  to  be  too  far  above  men 
to  enter  into  direct  communication  with  them — the 
lower  gods  and  heroes  were  asked  to  intercede  for  them 
with  Zeus.  In  the  same  way  the  Indians  often  appeal  to 
the  spirits  of  heroes  and  the  like — as  the  spirits  that  are 
supposed  to  rule  in  certain  places.  They  have  spirits 
of  the  mountains,  the  waters,  the  clouds,  rocks,  and  all 
else,  even  to  trees  of  various  kinds  and  all  plants  of 
note.  We  are  not  to  smile  at  this  as  a  piece  of  Indian 
simplicity,  for  is  it  not  well  known  that  in  Greece  the 
oracle  of  Zeus  at  Dodona  was  on  an  eminence  where 
were  numerous  great  oaks  and  beeches,  and  that  the 
will  of  the  father  of  gods  was  made  manifest  by  the 
rustling  of  the  leaves  of  these  trees  ? 


46  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

CHAPTER    XL 

THE  SKY-SIFTER'S  MAGIC  CANOE. 

The  Sky-Sifter  had  a  beautiful  and  fantastically-dec 
orated  canoe,  which  no  person  but  herself  was  ever 
allowed  to  touch.  It  was  her  medicine  canoe,  and  was 
"tabooed."  No  Indian  dared  touch  it.  It  was  the 
prevailing  impression  that  should  any  man  take  it  and 
venture  out  upon  the  water  in  it,  he  would  not  come 
back  alive.  The  Indians  did  not  like  to  so  much  as  go 
near  the  mouth  of  the  little  creek  in  which  the  canoe 
was  kept.  Even  the  whites  called  the  dainty  little 
craft  cc  the  devil's  canoe."  One  of  the  braves.t  of  our  old 
backwoodsmen,  a  hunter  and  trapper,  who  was  often 
alone  in  the  forests  for  weeks  and  months,  stoutly 
asserted  that,  being  near  the  mouth  of  the  creek  one  even 
ing  just  at  sunset,  he  had  seen  an  immense  wolf  come  out 
of  a  thicket  on  the  shore,  get  into  the  canoe,  and  pad 
dle  out  into  the  river  and  down  toward  the  lake.  The 
old  fellow  always  said  he  was  ready  to  swear  to  this  on 
a  "  stack  of  bibles."  Several  of  the  Indians  had  also 
met  a  wolf  in  the  "  witch  canoe,"  as  they  were  going 
down  to  the  lake  or  returning  from  it  in  the  dusk  of  the 
evening.  They  shook  their  heads  when  speaking  of 
the  canoe,  and  said  it  was  *'  bad  medicine." 

The  Sky-Sifter  laughed  at  these  stones  as  nonsensi 
cal,  but  would  not  deny  them,  as  it  suited  her  purposes 
very  well  to  have  them  believed.  When  she  used  this 
particular  canoe,  she  always  arrayed  herself  in  the  full 
costume  of  a  priestess  of  her  tribe.  It  was  only  a  short 
distance  down  to  the  lake  (Erie),  out  upon  the  waters 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  49 

of  which  she  would  sail  till  lost  to  sight.  It  was  said 
by  the  white  fishermen,  that  when  she  went  out  that 
way,  a  little  bunch  of  mist  always  came  to  meet  her, 
after  which  she  was  not  seen  again,  though  the  puff  of 
mist  disappeared  the  next  moment. 

No  one  knew  when  she  came  back.  Her  people 
said  she  went  out  to  a  great  council  of  the  spirits  of  the 
lake.  They  liked  to  see  her  go  out  upon  the  lake, 
as  for  a  fortnight  after  they  could  count  upon  good 
weather. 

When  I  was  about  fourteen  years  of  age  she  one  day 
told  me  that  it  was  time  for  me  to  go  out  upon  the  lake 
with  her.  I  was  to  go  to  her  at  the  mouth  of  the  creek 
exactly  at  noon.  I  never  once  thought  of  disobeying 
the  order,  and  went  to  the  creek  at  the  appointed  time. 
I  found  the  Sky-Sifter  awaiting  my  arrival.  She  made 
me  sit  facing  her  in  the  bow  of  the  canoe.  She  swiftly 
paddled  down  the  river,  then  well  out  upon  the  lake, 
when  she  set  a  small  white  sail  on  a  little  mast  she  had 
in  the  bottom  of  the  canoe,  when  we  sailed  until  the 
shore  was  almost  lost  to  sight — that  is,  all  the  lowlands. 
After  looking  back  toward  the  shore  and  sweeping  the 
lake  far  and  near,  with  her  hand  shading  her  eyes,  the 
Sky-Sifter  produced  from  beneath  some  skins  a  small 
earthen  pot  filled  with  what  appeared  to  be  ground  bark 
and  pulverized  herbs.  With  a  flint  and  steel  she  set  fire 
to  the  contents  of  the  pot.  A  dense  smoke  arose  that 
had  a  strong  resinous  smell.  In  the  midst  of  the  cloud 
of  smoke  she  took  in  her  sail  and  threw  the  pot  over 
board,  looking  after  it  and  calling  as  though  to  persons 
beneath  the  waves. 


50  THE     SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

This  done,  she  turned  to  me  and,  as  we  lay  rocking 
on  the  water,  said:  "  I  have  brought  you  out  here  to 
see  the  spirits  of  the  Great  Lakes.  I  have  called  to  them 
and  they  will  come.  I  want  you  to  see  them,  and  I 
want  them  to  see  your  face,  that  they  may  know  you 
and  save  you  if  your  life  shall  ever  be  in  danger,  when 
the  storm  spirit  sweeps  over  the  lakes,  for  you  will  sail 
much  on  these  waters." 

She  then  produced  her  medicine  stick  and  asked  me 
to  repeat  after  her  the  names  of  those  upon  whom  she 
called.  As  she  called  over  the  names  she  slowly  moved 
her  wand  back  and  forth  before  my  eyes,  or  described 
a  circle  about  my  face  with  its  point.  After  the  names 
came  a  low,  monotonous  chant,  in  unison  with  which 
the  medicine  stick  waved  to  and  fro,  or  circled.  The 
eyes  of  the  Sky-Sifter  grew  brighter  and  brighter,  till 
they  at  last  seemed  living  coals;  also,  she  appeared  to 
have  glided,  in  some  imperceptible  way,  along  the  bot 
tom  of  the  canoe,  until  so  near  that  I  could  almost  feel 
her  breath  upon  my  cheeks. 

I  began  to  feel  something  akin  to  fear,  yet  I  could  not 
move  nor  take  my  eyes  off  the  blazing  orbs  of  the  Sky- 
Sifter.  When  the  chant  ceased  I  did  not  observe,  but 
the  wand  seemed  still  waving  before  my  eyes,  when  she 
said,  in  a  whisper:  "  Oron-ya-deka,  they  are  coming — 
they  are  coming — coming — coming.  Oron-ya-deka,  my 
child,  they  are  here.  Look,  child,  look;  do  you  not 
see  their  faces  rising  up  through  the  water?  " 

I  looked  over  the  side  of  the  canoe  and  the  water 
seemed  alive  with  upturned  faces.  They  were  the 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE,  5  I 

faces  of  men,  women  and  children.     They  were  calm, 
earnest  faces-— good,  kind  faces,  all. 

The  Sky-Sifter  called  several  names  and  spoke  long 
and  earnestly  to  the  assembled  spirits  in  a  language  I 
had  never  heard  before,  yet  I  understood  every  word  of 
it.  She  told  them  what  she  had  done  for  me  and  what 
she  would  yet  do.  She  told  them  I  would  sail  much  on 
their  lakes,  and  begged  them  to  protect  me  through  all 
storms  and  wrecks.  All  smiled  and  nodded  assent. 

I  was  then  made  to  speak  on  my  own  behalf  to  the 
same  effect,  and  received  the  same  favorable  signs. 
"  Look  on  the  other  side  of  the  canoe,"  said  the  Sky- 
Sifter. 

I  looked,  and  saw  innumerable  upturned,  smiling 
faces.  In  my  astonishment  I  said:  "Are  they  all 
real  ?  " 

"  See  for  yourself,"  said  the  priestess,  and  she  lifted 
a  child  from  the  water  and  placed  it  before  me  in  the 
canoe.  It  seemed  as  real  and  as  much  alive  as  any 
child;  also  the  mother,  who  arose  \vaist  high  above  the 
water  when  she  lifted  the  little  one  out  of  the  canoe, 
seemed  a  real  woman. 

A  word  of  adieu  was  spoken,  the  medicine  stick  was 
waved  in  the  air,  and  in  an  instant  the  thousands  of 
spirit  faces  disappeared.  To  my  surprise  I  saw  that 
the  sun  was  almost  down,  that  the  sail  of  the  canoe  was 
set,  and  we  were  working  in  toward  the  land. 

As  it  began  to  grow  dark,  we  reached  the  mouth  of 
the  Grand  River,  and  the  sail  was  taken  in.  The  Sky- 
Sifter  then  took  from  under  her  bundle  of  furs  a  human 
skull,  in  which  was  a  candle.  Having  fastened  the 


52  THE     SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

skull  upon  the  bow  of  her  canoe,  and  lighted  the  can 
dle,  she  said:  "  No  Indian  will  remain  on  the  water 
when  he  sees  this  lantern  abroad. '' 


CHAPTER    XII. 

WAS    IT    MESMERISM    OR    HYPNOTISM  ? 

At  the  time  I  went  out  upon  the  lake  with  the  Sky- 
Sifter,  and  for  many  years  after,  I  believed  that  all  I 
saw  there  was  real,  but  I  am  now  of  the  opinion 
that  there  was  really  nothing  in  the  water;  that  she 
mesmerized  or  hypnotized  me,  and  caused  me  to  see 
whatever  she  wished.  The  most  learned  of  the  medi 
cine  men  among  the  Indians  have  for  ages  practiced 
mesmerism,  and  doubtless  hypnotism,  as  a  variety  of 
the  mesmeric  process  or  art,  for  the  two  phenomena  are 
so  intimately  connected  and  blended  as  to  be  almost 
the  same. 

In  the  light  of  my  present  knowledge  of  the  two  mys 
terious  processes,  I  believe  that  the  medicine  woman 
combined  them  in  securing  control  of  my  mental  facul 
ties.  Her  waving  wand  and  burning  eyes  were  irresist 
ible,  and,  placed  as  I  was  in  the  narrow  canoe,  I  could 
not  escape.  I  can  also  understand,  from  the  time  that 
passed  unnoted  by  me,  that  I  must  have  been  left  in 
the  state  into  which  I  had  been  placed  for  an  hour  or 
more,  as  when  I  regained  my  natural  senses  sail  had 
been  made  and  we  were  nearing  shore. 

It  would  seem  that  the  Indian   magicians   obtained 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  53 

their  first  ideas  of  mesmerism  and  hypnotism  from  the 
rattlesnake.  The  waving  of  the  wand  from  side  to  side 
is  in  imitation  of  the  motion  of  the  snake's  head,  and 
the  concentration  of  all  their  mental  powers  into  the 
gaze  which  they  fixed  upon  the  subject,  causes  their 
eyes  to  blaze  with  a  fierce  and  penetrating  fire  not 
unlike  that  seen  in  the  eyes  of  the  snake. 

When  George  Catlin  (who  spent  eight  years  among 
the  various  tribes  of  North  American  Indians,  painting 
the  portraits  of  several  hundred  warriors  and  chiefs) 
was  in  London  exhibiting  his  gallery,  in  1844,  he  had 
with  him  twelve  Chippewa  and  fourteen  loway 
Indians.  While  in  London  the  Indians  \vere  shown 
through  the  Zo-ological  Gardens.  Among  the  hundreds 
of  strange  beasts,  birds,  and  reptiles  they  saw  there, 
they  found  a  few  old  familiar  acquaintances  from 
America:  as  a  buffalo,  bear,  beaver,  and  a  rattlesnake, 
wolf,  and  a  few  others.  When  they  came  to  the  rattle 
snake  the  red  men  stopped,  and  each  made  to  it  a 
sacrifice  of  a  small  quantity  of  tobacco.  To  them  the 
rattlesnake  is  "  medicine,"  and  must  not  be  killed. 

Thinking  to  surprise  the  Indians,  a  London  doctor 
who  had  some  skill  in  mesmerism  (in  regard  to  which 
mysterious  force  there  was  at  that  time  a  .revival  of 
interest)  gave  an  exhibition  of  his  powers  for  their 
special  benefit  at  their  rooms.  The  doctor  took  with 
him  a  pale,  feeble  young  girl  as  a  subject.  As  the 
little  girl  was  what  is  known  as  a  "  sensitive,"  the  mes- 
merizer  succeeded  very  well  in  all  his  experiments. 

With  the  loway  Indians  was  a  noted  medicine  man 
and  chief  named  Senontiyah.  It  was  thought  that  the 


54  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

experiments  in  mesmerism  would*greatly  astonish  this 
old  man,  but  he  told  the  white  doctor  that  there  was 
nothing  new  nor  wonderful  in  what  he  had  done.  "  All 
the  medicine  men, "  sa id  he,  "  in  the  Indian  country  have 
known  for  many  years  how  to  do  the  same  thing,  and 
what  the  white  people  know  of  it  at  this  time  they  must 
have  learned  from  the  Indians;  but  I  see  that  they  don't 
yet  half  know  how  to  do  it."  He  further  said  he  had 
c<  brought  a  medicine  dress  all  the  way  with  him  for  the 
purpose,"  and  if  the  doctor  would  come  the  next  morn 
ing  he  would  see  him  with  it  on;  and  further,  that  he 
would  engage  to  mesmerize  the  mesrnerizer  himself. 
The  white  doctor  failed  to  put  in  an  appearance, 
though  the  red  one  was  on  the  spot  and  ready. 

This  medicine  man  was  about  sixty  years  of  age,  and 
was  not  only  a  chief,  but  also  the  son  of  a  grand  chief. 
He  wore  on  his  breast  a  large  silver  medal  on  which 
was  a  portrait  in  relief  of  George  III.,  given  his  father 
at  Montreal  for  services  during  the  Revolutionary  war. 
With  this  was  a  document  signed  by  the  Governor- in- 
Chief  of  Canada.  His  opinion  and  art  were  consulted 
on  all  occasions.  A  medicine  man,  in  all  councils  of 
war  or  peace,  is  entitled  to  a  seat  among  the  chiefs, 
and  often  his  power  in  the  tribe  is  greater  than  that  of 
the  head  chief. 

The  office  of  a  "  medicine  man  "  is  almost  precisely 
the  same  as  that  of  an  augur  in  ancient  Rome.  The 
chief  duty  of  the  Roman  augur  was  to  observe  and 
report  supernatural  signs.  They  were  also  the  reposi 
tories  of  all  ceremonial  laws  and  all  traditions,  and  as 
they  took  note  of  all  dreams,  flights  of  birds,  appear- 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN     LIFE.  55 

ances  in  the  heavens,  on  the  earth,  or  prodigies  of  any 
kind,  they  advised  on  all  religious  matters.  The  word 
of  a  single  Roman  augur  had  power  to  bring  an  army  to 
a  stand  and  postpone  an  expedition,  or  to  break  up  a 
meeting  of  the  Senate.  Cicero,  who  was  himself  an 
augur,  described  the  augurship  as  the  highest  dignity 
in  the  State.  All  Indian  doctors  are  not  "augurs/* 
though  all  Indian  <(  augurs  "  are  acquainted  with  plants 
and  roots,  and  know  something  of  medicine. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE    OFFICE    OF    AN    INDIA.N    MEDICINE    MAN. 

Such  a  medicine  man  as  Senontiyah  would  more 
properly  be  called  an  astrologer,  soothsayer,  or  prophet 
than  a  doctor,  though  he  knew  the  art  of  medicine. 
The  men  known  among  the  Indians  as  medicine  men 
should  be  described  as  magicians  or  soothsayers — 
magician,  magic,  charm,  power  or  talisman  is  nearly 
always  what  is  really  meant  by  "  medicine."  In  the 
early  times  the  fur-traders  were  nearly  all  French,  and 
in  the  French  language  a  doctor  or  physician  is  called 
medecin,  thus  the  word  began  to  be  used,  where  the 
proper  term  would  have  been  magic  and  magician. 
Catlin  says  that  the  expressions  " mystery"  and 
"mystery  man,"  are  much  nearer  the  Indian  meaning 
than  is  medicine  and  medicine  man.  Such  a  personage 
accompanies  every  war  party,  hunting  party,  or  any 


56  THE     SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

bnnd  going  on  a  visit  to  a  distant  place;  by  means  of 
his  magic  he  guards  and  guides  the  expedition. 

Old  Senontiyah  gave  a  proof  of  his  usefulness,  and 
a  striking  evidence  of  the  potency  of  his  magic,  on  the 
voyage  to  England.  When  near  land,  off  the  English 
Coast,  the  vessel,  on  which  were  the  Indians  and  many 
white  passengers,  was  becalmed  for  several  day?,  greatly 
to  the  annoyance  of  all  on  board.  The  sailors  were 
trying  to  whistle  up  a  wind,  the  white  passengers  were 
swearing,  and  the  Indians,  women,  and  children  were 
straining  their  eyes  toward  land,  and  longing  to  be  upon 
the  shore.  The  captain  of  the  vessel  was  exceedingly 
impatient,  and  finally  addressed  Mr.  Mellody  (a  white 
man  who  had  charge  of  the  band  of  Indians),  saying, 
"  I  am  told,  sir,  that  you  have  among  your  party  of 
Indians  a  famous  medicine  man." 

"Yes,  Captain,"  said  Mr.  Mellody. 

"Well,  sir,  here  now  is  a  fine  opportunity  for  him 
to  show  what  there  is  in  his  art — let  him  bring  us  a 
wind!" 

Mr.  Mellody  spoke  to  Dora  way,  the  mulatto  inter 
preter,  telling  him  what  the  captain  had  said. 

Doraway  laid  the  case  before  White  Cloud,  first 
chief  of  the  loway  Nation,  who  at  once  sent  word  to  the 
"  mystery  man  "  that  he  must  come  up  on  the  deck 
and  raise  a  wind. 

Old  Senontiyah  presently  made  his  appearance  on 
deck  in  his  medicine  dress,  and,  with  all  due  solemnity 
and  deliberation,  went  to  work  after  the  method  of  his 
race.  He  spread  his  "  mystery  feast,"  then  addressed 
his  invocation  to  the  spirits  of  the  wind  and  the  waters. 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  57 

The  sailors  gathered  about,  open-mouthed,  but  the  old 
medicine  man  heeded  no  one;  he  seemed  to  neither 
see  nor  hear,  but  continued  his  chant  like  one  in  a 
trance. 

In  a  little  while  the  wind  began  to  blow,  the  sails 
were  filled,  and  a  fair  breeze  carried  them  directly  into 
port.  The  Indians  were  delighted  with  their  "  medi 
cine  man,"  and  all  the  passengers  were  gratified.  As 
for  the  sailors,  they  were  simply  dumbfounded;  even 
the  captain  was  seen  to  eye  the  old  magician  curiously 
whenever  he  passed  near  him. 

After  reaching  port,  one  of  the  sailors  asked  Mr. 
Mellody  if  there  were  many  Indian  medicine  men  in 
America.  Mr.  Mellody  said  there  were  hundreds  of 
them  among  the  various  tribes.  "  Well,  sir,"  said  the 
man,  {<me  and  my  mates  we  ha'  been  a-talkin'  it  over, 
sir,  an'  we  thinks  as  there  ort  to  be  one  of  'em  on  every 
ship  as  sails."  As  he  so  spoke,  the  man  was  as  serious 
as  a  deacon.  It  was  evident  that  the  old  Indian  had 
completely  captured  and  subjugated  all  the  sailors. 

I  have  made  this  rather  long  digression  for  the  pur 
pose  of  showing  from  history,  and  from  a  document 
published  by  the  U.  S.  Government,  that  the  Indians 
have  long  known  of  the  mysterious  power  to  which 
white  men  have  given  the  names  of  mesmerism  and 
hypnotism.  That  the  old  loway  mystery  man  had 
confidence  in  his  knowledge  of  this  is  shown  by  the 
fact  that  he  put  on  his  medicine  dress,  and  waited  for 
the  white  doctor  to  make  his  appearance.  The  secret 
of  this  power  seems  always  to  have  been  kept  among 
medicine  men  of  the  first  rank — those  who  had  taken 


58  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

the  highest  degrees.  Catlin  was  made  a  medicine  man 
and  was  admitted  into  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  Mandan 
Nation,  but  he  was  not  given  the  highest  degree.  He  was 
made  acquainted  with  certain  "medicine  words,"  "  med 
icine  signs,"  and  "medicine  grips,  '  but  there  was  one 
thing  in  the  lodge  that  he  was  not  allowed  to  examine,  or 
even  approach.  It  was  on  a  little  scaffold  by  itself,  in  the 
centre  of  the  lodge, and  was  called  the'*  Mystery  Thing." 
Catlin  was  not  allowed  to  go  nearer  to  this  thing  than  20 
or  30  feet.  He  started  for  it  several  times,  but  "  was 
always  warned  back  by  a  'sh!'  from  every  mouth  in 
the  assembly."  Not  an  Indian  in  the  lodge  was 
allowed  to  go  near  this  central  object  except  the  chief 
medicine  man.  The  thing  was  on  a  little  frame  sup 
ported  by  four  sticks  as  slender  as  the  ramrod  of  a  gun. 
Catlin  tried  all  the  mystery  men  of  the  fraternity,  so 
anxious  was  he  to  find  out  what  the  object  was  towards 
which  all  eyes  were  constantly  turned,  but  all  said  it 
was  "  a  thing  that  could  not  be  told." 

This  lodge  had  a  vestibule  ten  feet  in  length  in  which 
two  screen  doors  had  to  be  passed,  at  each  of  which 
stood  two  black  and  frowning  sentinels  armed  with 
spears.  All  inside  of  the  lodge  was  conducted  with 
regard  to  the  north,  south,  east,  and  west,  and  in  the 
ceremonies  all  went  by  fours  and  multiples  of  four. 
What  Catlin  saw  was  the  annual  celebration  of  the 
subsidence  of  the  flood.  The  ark,  or  "-big  canoe,"  as 
the  Indians  called  it,  was  in  the  centre  of  the  village, 
and  the  rites  were  partly  in  the  lodge  and  partly  out  in 
the  open  air  at  the  ark— -shifting  to  and  fro.  Although 
women  were  allowed  to  go  to  the  ark,  lean  against  it 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  59 

and  weep  with  the  chief  medicine  man,  no  one  among 
them  was  permitted  to  approach  the  lodge. 

There  appears  to  be  something  Masonic  in  many  of 
the  ceremonies  of  the  Indians.  The  Six  Nations  had 
their  Long  House  in  Mohawk  Valley,  New  York,  before 
moving  to  Canada,  and  on  Grand  River  they  con 
structed  another.  It  was  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  and 
built  with  due  regard  to  the  four  cardinal  points  of  the 
compass,  with  the  longest  wings  running  north  and 
south.  There  was  a  meaning  attached  to  the  four 
doors.  In  a  speech  one  of  them  said,  in  speaking  of 
the  condition  of  the  tribe  in  New  York  in  1884:  "  At 
the  outset  of  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  the  Mohawks 
retired  to  Canada,  and  the  eastern  door  of  the  Long 
House  was  broken  down  forever.  After  the  close  of 
that -war  the  main  body  of  the  Cayugas  also  went  to 
Canada.  The  Onondagas  have  been  reduced  to  a 
feeble  remnant.  The  western  door  is  gone,"  and 
so  on. 

In  the  Six  Nations  women  were  appreciated,  and 
certain  among  them  were  given  a  place  in  the  coun 
cils.  On  some  occasions,  when  the  sachems  have 
declared  war,  and  covered  the  council  fire,  the  women 
have  uncovered  it,  and,  backed  by  the  warriors,  have 
forced  a  reconsideration.  It  may  well  be  imagined, 
therefore,  that  the  Sky-Sifter  was  heard  when  she  spoke. 
Her  "  medicine  "  was  feared.  All  said  it  was  "  strong," 
and  among  themselves  some  whispered  that  it  was  "too 
strong."  These  thought  she  was  too  deep  in  magic. 
Nothing  could  be  hidden  from  her. 

I  was  what  mesmerists  call  a   "sensitive" — a  sood 


60  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

subject — and  after  our  expedition  out  upon  the  lake 
she  was  soon  able,  by  the  force  of  her  will,  to  cause  me 
to  go  to  meet  her  whenever  and  wherever  she  pleased. 
I  think  she  was  able  to  hypnotize  herself  (or  to  throw 
herself  into  a  sort  of  clairvoyant  state)  with  her  dances, 
herbs,  and  vapors,  and  thus  ascertain  some  of  the  things 
she  wished  to  know,  but  in  order  to  corroborate  these 
she  made  use  of  me.  I  at  last  arrived  at  such  a  con 
dition  that,  when  in  her  presence,  I  did  not  know 
whether  I  was  asleep  or  awake.  Harriet  Martineau, 
the  well-known  authoress,  asserts  that  one  of  her  ser 
vants,  when  in  the  mesmeric  condition,  was  able  to 
predict  future  events,  and  I  am  firmly  of  the  opinion 
that  it  was  to  this  use  that  I  was  put,  for  a  long  time, 
by  the  Sky-Sifter. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

I    AM    SENT    OUT    TO    "  MAKE    MY    MEDICINE." 

In  speaking  of  my  childhood  I  stated  that  I  was  born 
on  the  Grand  River  Reservation;  I  omitted  in  that 
place  saying  further  that  I  was  born  on  the  territory  or 
lands  set  apart  to  the  Sky-Sifter,  but  such  was  the  case, 
my  parents  being  tenants  of  the  famous  Indian  sibyl. 
As  I  was  born  on  her  lands  she  perhaps  looked  upon 
me  as  being  a  part  of  the  increase  thereof — as  her 
vassal.  At  all  events,  when  I  was  wanted  to  do  any 
little  job  up  at  the  "big  house,"  for  either  the  master 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  6 1 

or  mistress,  my  mother  could  not  well  refuse  to  let  me 
go  thither;  also,  I  was  frequently  sent  to  towns  and 
settlements  at  a  distance,  being  absent  from  home  at 
times  for  several  days.  As  I  always  returned  unharmed, 
my  mother  made  little  objection  to  my  being  sent  on 
such  errands,  as  I  grew  older  and  more  experienced  in 
traveling. 

One  day  when  I  met  the  Sky-Sifter  she  informed  me 
that  she  had  called  me  for  the  purpose  of  informing  me 
that,  as  I  was  now  nearly  fifteen  years  of  age,  the  time 
had  come  when  I  must  go  forth  and  procure  my  "  med 
icine,"  i.  e.,  my  life  talisman  or  charm.  I  had  pre 
viously  been  well  instructed  in  regard  to  this,  and 
knew  what  I  had  to  do. 

It  was  necessary  for  me  to  go  away  to  some  secret 
place  in  the  depth  of.  the  forest,  and  there  spend  three, 
four,  or  five  days  in  fasting  and  prayer  to  the  Great 
Spirit,  sleeping  on  the  ground  of  nights,  and  paying 
particular  attention  to  my  dreams.  The  first  living 
creature,  animal,  bird,  or  reptile  of  which  I  dreamed, 
would  then  be  my  medicine  or  talisman. 

The  medicine  woman  said  she  would  arrange  with 
my  mother  by  saying  that  I  was  going  to  a  distance  on 
certain  business  that  would  detain  me  some  days.  All 
was  thus  settled,  and,  in  two  days  thereafter,  I  plunged 
into  the  heart  of  the  forest.  I  felt  no  fear,  and  went 
forward  without  thought  of  danger  from  wild  animals. 
The  course  seemed  as  though  marked  out  for  me.  As 
vista  after  vista  opened  out  before  me,  the  trees  formed 
a  sort  of  lane,  that  looked  so  familiar  that  I  was 
impressed  with  a  feeling  of  having,  at  some  previous 


62  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

time,  or  in  some  previous  state,  traveled  the  same 
road. 

At  last  I  came  to  a  little  glade,  near  a  small  rill  that 
came  from  a  spring  that  flowed  from  beneath  a  reef  of 
sandstone.  At  the  head  of  the  glade,  near  the  foot  of 
an  oak,  I  saw  a  small,  circular  mound,  that  I  knew  to 
be  a  Mohawk  grave,  for  they  bury  their  dead  in  a  sit 
ting  posture,  and  raise  above  the  round  hole  in  which 
the  body  is  placed  such  a  mound.  On  the  oak  I  found 
a  tribal  and  a  family  "  totem;"  also  near  the  spring 
several  totems  had  been  cut  into  the  rock. 

I  knew  as  soon  as  I  saw  the  place  that  it  was  here 
that  I  was  to  halt,  fast  and  pray.  The  grave  did  not 
in  the  least  disturb  me;  indeed,  it  seemed  to  me  that 
the  spirit  of  the  brave,  whose  bones  there  lay  buried, 
would  protect  me  during  the  hours  of  night;  therefore, 
as  it  grew  dark,  I  seated  myself  at  the  foot  of  the  great 
oak. 

Presently  I  saw  the  new  moon,  as  it  came  up  and 
faintly  shimmered  upon  the  foliage  in  the  openings 
among  the  boughs  of  the  great  trees,  I  hailed  this  as 
a  good  omen,  and  in  a  moment  it  occurred  to  me  that 
the  time  of  my  "  making  my  medicine  "had  been  care 
fully  considered  by  my  Indian  foster-mother,  as  I  knew 
that  she  constantly  studied  the  sun,  moon  and  stars. 

That  night  I  did  not  close  my  eyes  in  sleep.  I  had 
never  before  passed  a  night  in  the  midst  of  a  forest 
and  knew  nothing  of  the  sounds  to  be  heard  in  such  a 
place.  The  woods  seemed  more  filled  with  life  than 
during  the  daylight  hours.  Great  horned  owls  hooted, 
calling  and  answering  one  another;  little  screech  owls 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  63 

screamed,  bats  squeaked,  as  also  did  the  flying  squir 
rels  that  sailed  from  tree  to  tree,  and  occasionally  I 
heard  the  barking  of  a  red  fox.  Mice  and  various 
other  little  animals  ran  to  and  fro  in  the  dry  leaves  all 
about  me;  though  I  could  not  see  them,  I  knew  by  the 
rustling  of  the  leaves  that  they  were  small  creatures. 
Weasels,  martins,  and  similar  animals  pattered  about, 
and  at  times  I  heard  heavier  beasts — such  as  raccoons, 
skunks,  and  foxes — trotting  near.  Several  times  a 
screech  owl  darted  down  at  my  head,  snapping  its  bill 
wickedly.  I  hoped  that  that  bird  would  not  prove  to 
be  my  "medicine."  About  daylight  a  deer  whistled 
near  me  and  then  dashed  away. 

My  second  day  passed  slowly.  I  became  ve'ry  thirsty 
toward  night,  but  dared  not  drink,  as  to  do  so  was  strictly 
forbidden.  Thus  the  bright  spring  breaking  out  from 
beneath  the  ledge  of  sandstone,  in  which  I  had  at  first 
taken  pleasure,  now  became  to  me  a  temptation  and  a 
torture.  My  second  night  passed  much  the  same  as 
the  first,  though  I  fell  into  a  doze  a  little  before  day 
light. 

I  was  awakened  by  the  rays  of  the  morning  sun 
streaming  into  my  face.  Much  to  my  regret  I  could 
not  remember  having  dreamt  of  anything,  or  having 
dreamt  at  all.  I  was  very  hungry  and  thirsty — so  thirsty 
that  all  day  I  wandered  about  in  the  edge  of  the  forest, 
fearing  to  go  near  the  spring  or  the  little  brook.  It  was 
the  longest  day  I  had  ever  known. 

At  night  I  threw  myself  down  by  the  root  of  the  old 
oak,  completely  exhausted  and  tortured  with  thirst.  I 
must  have  soon  fallen  asleep,  as  I  remembered  nothing 


64  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

of  the  usual  night  noises.  I  dreamed  of  going  to  the 
spring  and  throwing  myself  down  beside  it,  determined 
to  drink  my  fill  at  all  hazards.  But  just  as  I  was  about  to 
plunge  my  face  into  the  crystal  basin,  a  little  turtle 
arose  from  amid  the  sand  that  eddied  about  the  open 
ing,  whence  the  water  bubbled  up  in  the  bottom,  and 
floated  on  the  surface,  just  under  my  nose.  I  went  to 
the  opposite  side  of  the  spring  and  again  attempted  to 
quench  rny  thirst,  but  again  the  turtle  prevented  me. 
I  tried  to  push  the  little  creature  aside,  when  it  imme 
diately  became  so  large  that  it  covered  the  whole  spring, 
all  its  feet  spread  out  on  the  ground  and  its  head  as 
high  as  my  face,  as  I  rose  to  my  knees. 

This  action  on  the  part  of  the  turtle  so  startled  me 
that  I  awoke.  On  finding  that  I  had  been  dreaming, 
I  soon  recovered  from  my  fright.  It  was  still  night, 
and  being  weak  and  weary,  I  again  fell  asleep.  Again 
I  dreamed  of  water.  I  seemed  to  be  in  my  mother's 
house.  I  had  in  my  hands  a  huge  wooden  bowl  of 
water  and  was  lifting  it  to  my  mouth,  when  it  became  a 
great  sprawling,  struggling  turtle. 

Again  I  awoke.  It  was  not  yet  day,  but  the  moon 
gave  a  dim  light,  and  a  ray  that  found  its  way  through 
the  foliage  fell  on  the  top  of  the  Indian  grave.  Into 
the  little  patch  of  light  slowly  came  the  head  of  a  wolf. 
Though  I  was  a  good  deal  frightened,  I  took  up  a  stout 
club  which  I  had  lying  by  my  side.  As  I  raised  the 
club  from  the  ground,  the  head  of  the  wolf  vanished, 
and  a  grinning  skull  appeared  in  its  place.  It  remained 
but  a  moment  and  then  disappeared.  At  first  I  thought 
the  skull  came  up  out  of  the  grave,  but  remembering 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  65 

the  skull  I  had  seen  the  Sky-Sifter  use  on  her  canoe, 
I  thought  she  might  be  in  the  dark  of  the  shadows  that 
lay  behind  the  mound,  and  I  called  her  in  a  low  voice. 
Instantly  there  arose  before  me  a  yelping  so  fierce 
that  there  seemed  to  be  a  pack  of  half  a  dozen  wolves 
just  back  of  the  mound. 

The  moment  the  yelping  ceased,  an  owl  hooted  on 
my  right,  and  was  answered  by  one  on  my  left.  I  could 
hear  sounds  as  of  animals  running  and  wings  flapping. 
These  noises  moved  toward  the  spring,  where  there 
was  soon  such  a  pouring  and  dashing  of  water  that  it 
was  as  though  a  torrent  were  tumbling  over  the  ledge  of 
sandstone. 

When  this  noise  •  ceased  all  remained  quiet,  but 
I  was  frightened  out  of  all  thought  of  sleep,  and  pres 
ently  the  red  light  of  dawn  appeared  in  the  east.  I 
was  heartily  glad  to  know  that  it  would  soon  be  day 
light,  and  that  I  might  then  leave  the  forest,  as  I  had 
twice  been  shown  that  my  "  totem  "  was  to  be  the 
turtle. 

When  it  was  broad  daylight,  I  went  to  the  spring 
where  I  had  heard  a  small  Niagara  pouring.  It  seemed 
as  before;  not  a  sign  could  I  find  of  the  great  disturb 
ance  I  had  heard  only  a  few  hours  before,  but  on  a 
little  grassy  bank  alongside  the  spring  I  found  a  thing 
that  puzzled  me.  It  was  a  mark  showing  where  some 
person  had  lain  down.  It  showed  the  head,  body, 
arms,  and  legs,  very  distinctly,  the  grass  being  dead 
and  burnt  to  a  crisp.  Moccasin  tracks  led  up  from  and 
back  to  the  spring,  and  in  these  every  blade  of  grass 
was  burned.  I  had  heard  of  such  things  being  seen  in 


66  THE     SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

several  places  on  Grand  River,  and  as  everybody  said 
they  showed  where  the  devil  had  been  prowling,  I  sup 
posed  that  I  had  found  his  den  in  the  spring  beneath 
the  ledge  of  rocks. 

I  next  went  to  the  grave,  and  looked  carefully  about 
its  base  for  moccasin  tracks.  I  wished  to  know  whether 
the  Sky-Sifter  had  been  there  with  her  skull.  I  found 
no  traces  of  any  human  being,  but  in  the  loose  mould, 
near  the  top  of  the  mound,  I  distinctly  saw  the  imprints 
of  the  fore  paws  of  a  wolf.  Baffled  at  every  point, 
burning  with  thirst  and  perishing  from  hunger,  I  did 
not  care  to  remain  longer  in  the  place,  for  I  had  a 
journey  of  several  hours  before  me  and  was  weak  as  an 
infant.  Could  I  have  quenched  my  thirst  at  the 
spring  it  would  have  given  me  some  strength,  but  I 
had  been  sternly  forbidden  to  break  my  fast  until  I  had 
returned  from  the  forest. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

AT    THE    WIGWAM    OF    THE    SKY-SIFTER. 

The  Sky-Sifter  did  not  always  live  at  the  "  great 
house  "  with  the  other  members  of  her  family.  Two 
miles  away,  at  the  foot  of  a  hill,  near  the  banks  of  a 
small  creek  (the  same  at  the  mouth  of  which  she  kept 
her  medicine  canoe)  she  had  a  large  and  handsome 
wigwam,  such  as  the  Indians  inhabited  in  the  olden 
times.  In  this  wigwam  she  would  at  times  live  alone 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  67 

for  a  week  or  longer,  and  it  was  toward  it  that  I  bent 
my  steps  on  leaving  the  little  glade  in  which  I  had  kept 
my  fast. 

I  arrived  at  the  hut  about  the  middle  of  the  after 
noon,  and  found  my  Indian  foster-mother  waiting  for 
me,  with  the  refreshments  my  exhausted  body  required. 
The  broths  and  all  else  were  prepared  in  the  ancient 
style.  The  food,  and  a  sort  of  tea  of  herbs,  which  she 
made  me  drink  before  eating,  renewed  my  strength  as  if 
by  magic. 

Not  until  after  I  had  done  eating  did  she  question 
me  in  regard  to  my  fast  in  the  forest.  When  I  had  told 
her  of  my  dream  and  all  else,  she  seemed  well  pleased. 
She  said  the  Great  Spirit  had  given  me  for  my  medicine 
the  turtle,  and  it  was  good;  as  the  turtle  lives  both  on 
land  and  in  the  water  my  medicine  would  protect  me 
wherever  I  went.  She  appeared  to  attach  little  import 
ance  to  what  I  told  her  of  the  head  of  the  wolf  and  the 
skull,  merely  saying:  "Such  things  are  seen."  In 
regard  to  the  image  of  a  man  on  the  grass,  she  said  it 
was  the  "  white  man's  devil;"  that  as  I  was  about  to 
become  a  Mohawk  and  pass  under  the  protection  of  the 
Great  Spirit,  he  feared  he  would  lose  me,  therefore  was 
out  on  the  watch  for  me;  and  had  I  gone  to  the 
spring  and  taken  even  a  drop  of  water  into  my  mouth  I 
would  have  been  lost,  for  I  could  not  have  formed  my 
medicine,  and  could  not  have  been  cared  for  and  pro 
tected  by  the  turtle,  a  servant  of  the  Great  Spirit. 
The  noise  I  had  heard  in  the  water  was  made  when  the 
turtle  forced  the  evil  spirit  to  go  back  into  his  hole 
under  the  rocks.  All  this  I  then  believed. 


68  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

After  she  had  made  this  explanation,  the  Sky-Sifter 
informed  me  that  my  next  duty  was  to  get  a  turtle,  to 
be  worn  as  my  medicine.  She  told  me  to  get  the 
smallest  one  I  could  find,  as  I  must  carry  it  all  my  life, 
and  a  small  one  was  quite  as  potent  as  one  of  the 
largest  size.  I  was  to  sleep  one  night  and  then  go  in 
search  of  my  talisman.  She  made  me  sleep  in  the  wig 
wam,  saying  she  would  make  a  medicine  fire  outside 
and  pray  to  the  Great  Spirit  on  my  behalf.  Before  leav 
ing  the  hut  she  gave  me  a  sort  of  spicy  tea  to  drink, 
saying  she  wished  me  to  have  a  sound  sleep. 

At  daylight  she  aroused  me,  prepared  a  good  break 
fast  in  Indian  style,  then  sent  me  away  in  search  of  my 
talisman,  which  she  said  I  must  find  for  myself;  she 
going  to  tell  my  mother  that  she  had  heard  from  me 
and  I  was  well. 

I  found  a  turtle  in  a  search  of  an  hour  or  two  that 
was  Jess  than  two  inches  in  diameter.  It  was  a  little 
beauty,  being  handsomely  colored  and  marked.  My 
foster-mother  approved  of  it,  and  took  charge  of  it  to 
so  prepare  it  that  it  would  endure  for  a  life-time. 

I  was  then  sent  to  the  hut  of  an  old  Indian  woman 
who  lived  by  herself  some  miles  up  the  river,  the  Sky- 
Sifter  giving  me  a  piece  of  birch  bark,  on  which  were 
painted  several  hieroglyphics,  which  I  was  to  present 
to  the  old  woman  on  my  arrival. 

The  old  hag  scowled  upon  me  very  fiercely  when  I 
entered  her  hut,  but  after  I  had  given  her  the  strip  of 
bark,  her  expression  softened,  and  she  gazed  at  me 
curiously  for  some  moments,  when  she  said,  in  a 
friendly  tone:  "  Ka  jee  "(come  here). 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  69 

I  approached  her,  when  she  said:  "  Dati  yoat  hay 
its  ?  "  (how  do  you  do  ?) 

I  answered,  "  Array  as  yuh  "  (very  well). 

"  Was  na  ra  huh  ?  "  (are  you  tired  ?) 

"Grons  a  runk  na  ra  huh  "  (I  am  not  tired). 

"  Wa  gwast!"  (good)  cried  the  old  woman.  I  was 
about  to  take  my  departure  after  this  brief  talk,  but 
the  old  creature  told  me  1  was  to  remain  with  her 
until  further  orders. 

The  face  of  the  old  woman  was  a  mass  of  wrinkles. 
She  appeared  to  be  nearly  100  years  old,  yet  she 
moved  about  quite  nimbly.  At  night  she  gave  me  a 
mess  of  "succotash,"  and  then  sent  me  to  bed  on  ay 
pile  of  old  blankets  in  a  corner  of  the  hut.  The  old 
woman  then  drew  her  bed  across  the  door  and  lay 
down,  probably  taking  this  precaution  to  prevent  me 
from  taking  French  leave  during  the  night. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

A    MEDICINE    FEAST. 

In  the  morning  the  old  woman  gave  me  another 
dose  of  "  succotash"  in  which  was  stewed  up  a  quan 
tity  of  fish  of  very  ancient  flavor.  She  then  grasped 
her  staff  and  took  me  for  a  ramble  in  the  forest.  In 
order  to  amuse  me  —  the  old  creature  was  of  a  cheerful 
disposition  —  she  showed  me  a  number  of  graves,  and 
all  her  discourse  was  of  "  Katic-kuh  Raxhu  "  (the 
Evil  Spirit)  and  of  the  "  Oono-wak  "  (ghosts). 


70  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

When  I  asked  her  about  "  Ye-wun-ni-yoh "  (the 
Good  Spirit)  she  said  he  was  all  good,  but  the  main 
thing  was  to  keep  on  the  right  side  of  old  "  Katic-kuh 
Raxhu."  She  also  had  much  to  say  of  the  great  chief 
Thayendanega  (Chief  Brant),  and  Deseronto,  who  led 
the  Six  Nations  from  New  York  to  Canada.  Of  Red 
Jacket  she  said  she  would  not  talk,  as  he  had  killed 
himself  with  fire-water. 

All  day  the  old  woman  led  me  from  grave  to  grave, 
talking  to  me  of  Hiawatha,  the  League  of  the  Iroquois, 
and  other  old-time  matters,  she  meantime  pulling  the 
weeds  and  grass  from  the  mou-nds. 

Toward  sunset  we  returned  to  the  hut  and  had  a 
"  succotash  "  supper.  Supper  ended,  the  old  woman 
took  up  her  staff  and  motioned  me  out.  In  a  few 
minutes  she  followed,  and,  facing  the  west,  stood 
watching  the  sun,  then  setting.  The  moment  the  orb 
disappeared  behind  a  hill,  that  lay  in  that  direction  of 
the  lake,  she  said:  "Now  follow  me." 

She  at  once  struck  into  the  thickest  part  of  the  forest 
and  walked  rapidly  for  one  who  looked  so  old.  Pres 
ently  she  halted  and  hooted  like  an  owl.  She  was 
answered  by  a  like  hoot,  and  soon  we  were  joined  by 
an  old  man  in  a  medicine  dress,  who  fell  in  behind  me 
without  a  word.  These  signals  were  made  and  answered 
until  four  other  old  men,  all  in  medicine  array,  had 
joined  us. 

We  all  moved  on  in  silence  till  we  came  to  a  circular 
opening  in  a  spot  where  there  were  many  ancient  trees. 
In  the  centre  of  the  opening  we  found  several  fantas 
tically-arrayed  Indians  seated  on  the  ground  in  a  circle. 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  71 

All  were  in  the  dark.  After  some  low  talk  the  old 
men  began  to  gently  tap  their  medicine  drums.  The 
taps  were  answered  in  various  directions  in  the  sur 
rounding  forest,  and  at  the  same  time  -two  men  began 
rubbing  a  stick  of  hard  wood,  held  vertically  upon  a 
stick  of  soft  wood,  that  lay  flat  on  the  ground.  As  the 
two  men,  squatted  on  the  ground,  pushed  the  stick  back 
arid  forth,  a  third  man,  with  both  hands  on  its  top, 
bore  down  upon  it.  Soon  there  was  a  smell  of  smoke; 
the  men  rubbed  faster  and  faster,  following  the  more 
rapid  tapping  of  the  drums.  At  last  some  sparks  of  fire 
were  seen.  Then  the  sound  of  rattles  chimed  in  with 
the  drums  for  a  moment,  when  all  suddenly  ceased. 

The  old  woman  who  had  guided  me  to  the  spot  then 
crouched  near  the  men  who  weje  rubbing  and  began  to 
sprinkle  something  upon  the  sparks  of  fire  that  greatly 
increased  their  number  and  size.  As  she  did  so  the 
two  men  shoved  the  stick  to  and  fro  more  slowly,  and 
with  long,  sweeping  strokes.  As  each  stroke  was  made, 
one  of  the  men  counted  it,  and  the  other  gave  the 
appropriate  answer,  as  follows: 

"Unji"  (one). 

"Hiday"  (sun). 

"Nekty"  (two). 

"  Aut-sun-ye-haw  "    (moon). 

"  Ausuh"  (three). 

"  Ojisnok"  (stars). 

"Hun-tak"  (four). 

"  Aut-sun-ye  "  (night). 

"Wisk"  (five). 

"Yorhu-uh"  (day). 


72  THE     SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

"Ooy-ak"  (six). 

"  Yor-wetsa-yuh  "  (dark). 

"  Jarnak"  (seven). 

"Yoo-ho-ok'1  (light). 

At  the  word  "light"  something  was  thrown  upon 
the  sparks  that  caused  a  flame  to  shoot  up  to  a  height 
of  nearly  two  feet.  At  once  the  drums  and  rattles 
again  began  to  sound  as  dry  sticks  were  heaped  on  the 
fire,  ceasing  as  soon  as  it  was  kindled. 

For  the  medicine  feast,  or  sacrifice  (Yun-nu  Wonus), 
only  new  fire — that  made  by  rubbing  wood  on  wood — 
can  be  used.  When  sufficient  wood  had  been  added 
to  the  fire,  the  old  men  formed  a  circle  about  it  and 
the  medicine  pipe  was  produced.  The  leading  man 
lighted  the  pipe  at  thei|  sacred  fire,  and,  inhaling  a 
quantity  of  smoke,  blew  it  upward,  then  toward  the 
four  quarters  of  the  earth.  The  others  blew  the  smoke 
upward,  and  then,  with  the  stem  of  the  pipe,  pointed 
to  the  four  cardinal  points  of  the  compass.  When  the 
pipe  came  to  me  I  did  as  I  had  seen  the  others  do. 
The  smoke  had  more  the  flavor  of  herbs  than  of  tobacco. 

Two  or  three  old  squaws,  who  came  from  somewhere 
in  the  woods,  now  moved  forward  and  took  some  of 
the  sacred  fire.  A  medicine  man  passed  his  hands 
over  it  and  blew  upon  it,  when  the  old  women  went 
aside  a  short  distance,  kindled  a  large  fire,  and  began 
to  prepare  the  feast.  This  consisted  wholly  of  Indian 
dishes.  They  had  venison,  and  even  jerked  buffalo 
meat  "brought  from  the  country  beyond  the  Great 
Lakes,"  as  they  told  me.  The  meat  of  no  animal 
brought  to  the  country  by  the  whites  was  used. 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  73 

But,  before  the  feast  began,  there  were  many  cere 
monies  about  the  small  fire.  I  was  made  to  march 
round  the  fire  in  turn  with  each  medicine  man,  the 
drums  tapping,  and  certain  words  chanted,  among 
which  I  heard  my  Indian  name,  Oron-ya-deka,  fre 
quently  pronounced. 

All  this  time  I  was  a  good  deal  abashed  and  uneasy 
on  account  of  seeing  nothing  of  the  Sky-Sifter;  I  feared 
that  she  knew  nothing  about  what  these  strange  Indians 
were  doing  with  me.  Still  I  thought  the  old  woman, 
who  had  conducted  me  to  the  secret  place  in  the  forest, 
must  have  been  acting  under  the  orders  of  my  foster- 
mother. 

When  the  various  dishes  had  been  prepared  by  the 
old  women,  they  brought  a  portion  of  everything  to  the 
chief  medicine  man  to  be  consumed  in  the  small  fire, 
as  an  offering  to  the  Great  Spirit.  With  the  food  so 
sacrificed  there  was  thrown  upon  the  fire  the  usual 
offering,  in  the  shap.e  of  herbs  and  resinous  gums. 
These  sent  up  a  volume  of  thick  vapor,  which  spread 
on  all  sides,  and  through  which  the  forms  of  the  dancing 
medicine  men  could  be  but  indistinctly  seen.  Much 
to  my  satisfaction  I  presently  recognized  the  Sky-Sifter 
among  the  dancers.  She  was  in  her  medicine  dress, 
and  stood  a  full  head  taller  than  any  of  the  men. 

When  the  offering  to  the  Great  Spirit  had  been  con 
sumed,  the  medicine  feast  began.  All  partook  of  the 
food  in  silence,  for  an  Indian  does  no  talking  when 
eating.  As  he  always  prepares  for  a  feast  of  any  kind 
by  fasting  for  a  day  or  two,  he  is  very  much  in  earnest 
when  he  begins  eating. 


74  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

After  the  medicine  feast  I  was  saluted  as  a  brother, 
and  was  told  that  I  had  been  formally  adopted  into  the 
tribe. 

My  foster-mother  then  blew  a  signal  on  her  medicine 
whistle,  and  a  moment  after  I  saw,  to  my  utter  aston 
ishment,  another  Sky-Sifter  come  out  of  the  forest. 
When  they  stood  together  I  could  not  tell  which  was 
the  one  I  had  before  known.  I  was  told  that  I  was 
equally  known  to  and  equally  acquainted  with  both — 
that  they  were  twin  sisters  with  but  a  single  soul. 

The  one  that  came  last  brought  a  handsomely-deco 
rated  medicine  bag,  made  out  of  the  skin  of  the  head 
of  a  white  wolt,  in  which  was  placed  the  little  turtle 
that  was  my  "  totem  "  or  talisman.  This  they  made 
me  put  on,  out  of  sight,  beneath  my  vest.  I  was 
warned  not  to  lose  my  "  totem,"  or  part  with  it,  except 
with  my  life,  as  I  could  never  "  make  my  medicine  "  a 
second  time;  in  case  I  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  it  I 
would  be  in  disgrace,  and  would  be  "a  man  without 
medicine"  until  I  could  kill  an  enemy  and  possess 
myself  of  his  medicine,  when  I  would  be  reinstated.  I 
was  given  many  lessons  about  my  medicine,  among 
which  about  all  I  now  remember  is  that  if  my  medicine 
grew  weak  and  did  not  avert  misfortunes,  I  must  pray 
to  the  Great  Spirit  to  make  it  strong. 

I  was  next  told  that  having  been  adopted  and  made  a 
brother,  it  was  lawful  for  me  to  take  my  first  lessons  as 
a  medicine  or  mystery  man.  After  much  drumming  and 
chanting,  with  frequent  'Maying  on  of  hands,"  I  was 
given  a  mystery  drink.  I  must  then  have  been  uncon- 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE  77 

scious  for  a  time,  for  the  next  I  remember  was  of  see 
ing  standing  before  me  a  man  wearing  the  head  of 
a  wolf. 

The  two  Sky-Sifters  told  me  that  I  had  been  on  a 
long  journey  and  had  brought  back  much  news;  that 
all  the  medicine  men  were  satisfied  with  me.  I  was  told 
that  the  personage  before  me,  with  the  head  of  a  wolf, 
was  a  medicine  man  from  beyond  the  Great  Lakes — 
"the  one  who  'never  dies."  It  was  said  that  he 
visited  all  the  tribes  in  turn,  and  had  been  known  to 
them  for  ages.  The  man  reported  to  be  immortal — or 
at  least  an  Indian  Wandering  Jew — then  lifted  off  the 
head  of  the  wolf,  into  which  his  own  head  was  fitted, 
and  I  saw  before  me,  not  an  old  man,  as  I  expected, 
but  a  man  who  seemed  in  the  very  prime  of  life.  This 
high  medicine  man  gave  me  a  medicine  stick,  on  the 
four  sides  of  which  were  carved  and  burned  in  the 
"totems"  of  the  heroes  of  ages  before  the  time  of 
Hiawatha,  to  whom  I  was  to  address  my  prayers,  just 
as  good  Catholics  pray  to  their  saints.  I  was  then 
shown  several  medicine  grips  and  medicine  signs,  in  a 
language  given  with  the  hands,  and  known  only  to 
medicine  men. 

I  had  then,  in  one  night,  been  made  a  Mohawk, 
and  had  taken  my  first  degree  as  a  medicine  man. 
Before  going  farther,  it  would  be  necessary  for  me  to 
learn  all  the  totems  on  my  medicine  stick.  These  the 
Sky-Sifters  were  to  teach  me. 

Small  articles  belonging  to  the  trade  of  my  new  busi 
ness  were  given  me  by  all  the  medicine  men  when  we 
separated,  one  of  the  Sky-Sifters  taking  me  to  the 


78  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

river  and  embarking  me  in  the  medicine  canoe  in  which 
I  had  been  out  upon  the  lake,  and  the  other  going 
away  with  the  magician  in  the  wolf  skin. 

As  has  already  been  stated,  the  Indians  got  the  word 
"medicine"  from  the  early  French  fur  traders,  in 
whose  language  "medecin" means  physician.  "Medi 
cine  "  is  the  word  the  Indians  use  in  speaking  to  white 
men,  but  each  tribe  has  in  its  language  a  word  of  its 
own  for  medicine  man.  This  word,  literally  translated, 
does  not  mean  doctor  or  physician,  but  invariably 
signifies  a  magician,  mystery  man,  or  conjurer.  The 
word  also  conveys  to  the  Indian  mind  the  idea  of 
prophet  and  priest,  for  the  medicine  man  is  the  head 
of  the  religion  followed  by  the  tribe.  He  conducts  all 
religious  ceremonies.  The  'medicine  men  rank  high 
in  all  tribes,  and  are  greatly  respected  by  all  their  peo 
ple.  In  all  councils,  they  have  a  seat  with  the  chiefs; 
indeed,  they  always  rank  as  chiefs,  and  very  frequently 
are  acting  chiefs. 

The  medicine  men  are  the  oracles  of  the  tribe.  A 
medicine  man  accompanies  every  war  party.  He 
watches  the  flight  of  birds,  the  movements  of  animals, 
the  appearance  of  the  heavens,  and  the  force  and  direc 
tion  of  the  wind,  and  by  his  interpretation  of  the  visible 
signs  of  nature  (and  by  dreams)  the  party  is  guided. 
Thus,  if  the  totem  of  the  chief  heading  the  war  party 
be  the  wolf,  or  if  the  party  should  be  composed  of 
men  of  a  wolf  gens,  the  medicine  man  would  halt  the 
party  should  a  wolf  cross  its  line  of  march;  but  should 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  79 

the  wolf  move  ahead  in  the  line  of  march  it  would  be 
hailed  as  a  good  omen,  and  all  would  feel  confident  of 
victory. 

The  medicine  man  carries  a  medicine  bag  the  same 
as  an  ordinary  Indian,  and  when  things  go  wrong  he 
halts  and  sacrifices  to  his  medicine  in  order  to  propitiate 
the  spirits  or  tutelary  deity  it  represents;  then  all  nature 
is  carefully  scanned  for  a  good  omen.  In  this  respect 
the  business  of  the  Indian  medicine  man  is  precisely 
the  same  as  that  of  the  ancient  Roman  augur,  who,  by 
watching  the  flight  of  birds,  and  all  omens  appearing 
in  the  heavens  or  on  the  earth,  encouraged  or  discour 
aged  the  army  to  which  he  was  attached. 

The  medicine  bag  is  nearly  always  made  of  the  skin 
of  some  small  animal  or  bird,  fancifully  trimmed  with 
beads  and  ribbons,  and  contains  a  variety  of  articles 
supposed  to  act  as  charms  and  to  tend  to  bring  good 
luck;  the  same  as  the  rabbit  foot  of  the  negro,  except 
that  each  article  represents  some  spirit  or  venerated 
ancient.  The  bag  and  its  contents  constitutes  what  in 
Africa  would  be  called  a  "fetich."  When  out  of  luck, 
the  Indian-  immediately  imagines  he  has  done  some 
thing  to  offend  his  "  medicine,"  and  offers  sacrifices 
and  puts  up  prayers  to  propitiate  it,  or,  rather,  the  deity 
and  spirits  represented  by  the  contents  of  the  bag — 
the  totem  and  other  charms. 

An  Indian  can  "  make  his  medicine  "  but  once  in 
the  regular  way.  If  he  loses  it  in  battle  or  in  any  other 
way  he  is  "a  man  without  medicine,"  and  is  under  a 
cloud  to  a  certain  extent.  The  only  way  in  which  he  can 
set  himself  right  in  his  tribe  is  to  kill  an  enemy  and  take 


8o  THE    SKY-SIFTER,   OR 

his  medicine.  An  Indian  always  captures  the  medicine 
of  the  enemy  he  kills,  if  he  has  time,  and  it  thus  hap 
pens  that  a  great  brave  often  has  several  medicine 
bags. 

Things,  as  well  as  men,  are  constantly  spoken  of  as 
being  "medicine,"  /.  «?.,  mystery,  or  magic  things. 
Anything  that  is  beyond  an  Indian's  comprehension, 
whatever  appears  to  be  mysterious  or  supernatural — is 
spoken  of  by  him  as  being  medicine — it  is  either  good, 
bad,  or  big  medicine,  according  to  the  impression  it 
makes  on  the  man's  mind.  The  compass,  the  watch, 
telescope,  thermometer,  gun,  pistol,  and  a  thousand 
other  things,  were  "  medicine "  (mysteries)  to  the 
Indians  when  they  first  saw  them. 

Though  there  are  many  Indian  medicine  men  who 
do  not  pretend  to  a  knowledge  of  the  medicinal  virtues 
of  plants  and  roots,  there  are  others  who  are  quite  skill 
ful  in  the  use  of  these  natural  remedies.  When  these 
fail — whether  administered  by  the  squaws  or  medicine 
men — it  is  thought  an  evil  spirit  has  taken  possession 
of  the  patient.  As  a  last  resort,  the  medicine  man,  in 
his  capacity  of  conjuror,  is  then  called  in,  he  being 
supposed  to  have  power  to  cast  out  evil  spirits.  It  is 
then  that  is  heard  the  drumming  and  howling  so  often 
mentioned  by  persons  traveling  in  regions  inhabited  by 
wild  Indian  tribes. 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  8 1 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

A  MEDICINE  TRICK. 

As  we  were  going  down  the  river,  the  Sky-Sifter  told 
me  that  all  the  Indians  I  had  seen  were  old  persons 
who  could  be  trusted,  and  that  even  the  women  had 
taken  several  medicine  degrees.  "  It  is  the  younger 
Indians  who  are  at  war  against  me,"  said  she.  "  A  little 
below  here  we  will  stop,  and  I  will  show  you  how  I  will 
make  one  of  them  very  uneasy — I  have  a  stone  heat 
ing  for  him." 

Presently,  we  ran  to  the  shore,  and,  tying  the  canoe, 
the  Sky-Sifter  asked  me  to  follow  her.  We  moved 
quietly  toward  the  dwelling  of  an  Indian  who  was  living 
a  good  deal  in  white  style.  As  we  passed  along,  the 
Sky-Sifter  stopped  at  a  small  pit  in  the  ground,  in  which 
was  a  fire  made  of  charcoal — a  fire  that  showed  neither 
smoke  nor  flame.  From  this  she  took  out,  with  a  pair 
of  Indian  tongs,  a  flat  stone  about  a  foot  long  and  ten 
inches  wide.  Trie  stone  was  red-hot.  Having  secured 
it,  we  went  to  the  door  yard  of  the  Indian,  when  the 
Sky-Sifter  made  on  the  grass  the  image  of  a  man,  such 
as  I  had  seen  at  the  spring  in  the  forest.  Then, 
with  the  end  of  the  stone,  she  made  moccasin  tracks 
leading  to  the  door  of  the  house.  This  done,  we  left 
the  place,  covered  the  charcoal  fire,  and  threw  the  stone 
into  the  river. 

All  this  time,  not  a  word  was  spoken.  After  we  were 
again  afloat  in  the  canoe,  the  Sky-Sifter  said:  "  What  I 
have  now  done  is  not  'medicine;'  it  is  only  a  little 


82  THE     SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

trick  to  make  the  people  of  that  house  very  uneasy. 
They  are  not  so  white  yet  but  they  will  be  greatly 
troubled,  for  they  will  think  the  white  man's  devil  is  in 
their  house.  Now  that  you  are  a  medicine  man,  or 
are  to  be  one,  you  must  keep  this  trick  to  yourself,  as 
it  has  its  uses,  at  times,  among  certain  people." 

When  I  asked  why  she  made  such  a  mark  at  the 
spring,  she  said  she  did  it  that  she  might  watch  my 
face  when  I  saw  it,  and  also  to  keep  the  Indians  of  the 
neighborhood  away  from  the  spot.  She  then  proceeded 
to  say,  that  although  the  Indian  in  whose  door-yard  we 
had  left  the  devil's  image,  pretended  to  be  a  Christian, 
he  was  a  hypocrite  ;  that,  though  he  no  longer  wore 
his  medicine  bag,  he  had  it  buried  in  a  certain  place, 
and  visited  it  regularly,  making  offerings  to  his  totem, 
and  saying  prayers.  "To-morrow,  he  will  come  to 
me  about  this  image,"  said  she,  "and  I  will  send 
him  to  the  old  woman  at  whose  hut  you  slept  last  night. 
She  is  poor,  and  he  is  able  to  pay  her  well  for  what  she 
will  do." 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE     TWO     SKY-SIFTERS. 

Leaving  the  canoe  in  its  usual  place  at  the  mouth  of 
the  creek,  we  went  to  the  wigwam.  I  was  given  some 
lessons  in  medicine  signs,  and  then  left  to  sleep,  the 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  83 

Sky-Sifter  telling  me,  as  she  passed  out  of  the  hut,  that 
I  would  see  her  in  the  morning. 

In  the  morning  she  woke  me,  prepared  an  Indian 
breakfast,  and  then,  in  a  mysterious  way,  gave  me  to 
understand  that  she  had  great  designs  for  me  in  regard 
to  the  nature  of  which  I  would  be  informed  in  due 
time.  She  then  said  it  was  time  for  me  to  know  some 
thing  of  some  other  matters.  With  no  further  intro 
duction,  she  next  proceeded  to  tell  me  that  while  I 
supposed  that  I  was  acquainted  with  but  one  foster- 
mother,  I  had  all  along  seen  two;  sometimes  it  was 
herself;  again,  it  was  her  sister.  At  times  she  was  on 
Grand  River,  and  at  times  on,  and  beyond,  the  Great 
Lakes.  Said  she,  "  You  will  never  know  which  of  us 
two  you  are  speaking  with — never  have  known  and 
never  can  know.  We  are  one.  The  man  who  thinks 
he  is  my  husband  knows  less  of  me  than  is  known  to 
you,  nor  does  he  know  more  of  my  sister.  He  some 
times  sees  me,  and  sometimes  sees  my  sister,  in  his 
house,  but  he  knows  not  who  is  his  wife.  Nor  do  his 
daughters,  Ken-yen-neen-tha  (the  Snow  Drift)  and 
Sapana  (the  Lily),  know  when  they  see  their  mother. 
They  sometimes  see  me,  sometimes  that  other,  who  is 
the  same  as  myself;  even  then,  they  have  not  seen  the 
mother  that  bore  them,  though  they  have  seen  those  to 
whom  they  owe  their  existence,  their  coming  into  the 
world,  and  half  their  nature  and  character.  Among 
the  Mohawks  are  some  who  say  my  medicine  is  too 
strong.  They  are  plotting  to  destroy  me.  They  will 
be  deceived.  After  they  believe  they  have  destroyed 
one  Sky-Sifter,  they  shall  see  two  in  broad  daylight." 


84  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

After  telling  me  that  it  was  in  the  wigwam  that  the 
attempt  on  her  life  would  be  made,  she  said:  "My 
medicine  is  too  strong,  and  I  know  all.  I  need  not  be 
here  when  they  come,  but  I  wish  to  be  present — here, 
in  a  certain  shape." 

I  asked  if  she  was  sure  that  some  of  her  people  would 
try  to  kill  her. 

She  said:  "  Yes,  I  am  sure;  it  has  been  showrn  me 
by  the  Great  Spirit,  and  by  others  besides  my  sister, 
who  is  both  myself  and  my  other  self.  You  last  night 
spoke  of  it  before  all  at  the  medicine  feast.  The  man 
who  never  dies  heard  you,  and  he  said:  '  It  is  true.'  " 

"I  speak  of  it  ?"    cried  I. 

"Yes,  you,"  said  the  Sky-Sifter;  "you  arc  great 
medicine  at  times.  Yes,  last  night,  when  you  knew 
not  that  you  were  speaking,  you  spoke  of  everything 
that  is  to  be  done.  After  that  time  my  home  will  be 
beyond  the  Great  Lakes.  Do  you  remember  that  you 
once  saw  a  great  lake  on  which  were  Indians  in  canoes, 
and  also  saw  standing  on  the  shore  of  a  rocky  island 
me  or  my  other  self?  " 

"  Was  it  you  that  I  saw  ?  "  I  asked. 

"You  will  never  know,"  said  the  woman,  "  but  I 
have  been  there.  I  know  the  place.  I  have  also  been 
at  Butte  de  Mort  (The  Hill  of  Death)  and  have  worked 
my  medicine  on  the  graves  of  the  ancients.  It  is  a 
place  of  bones,  and  few  dare  stand  on  that  mound.  I 
have  been  at  the  Great  Pipestone  Quarry,  where  all  the 
children  of  the  Great  Spirit  meet  in  peace.  I  have 
seen  Nid  du  Tonnerre  (Thunder's  Nest),  and  I  have 
planted  my  arrow  on  the  Medicine  Rock,  making 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  85 

the  leap  that  few  braves  care  to  undertake.  What  I 
have  seen  and  done  has  been  seen  and  done  by  my 
other  self,  my  sister,  for,  though  two,  we  are  one.  Shall, 
then,  a  few  bad  Mohawks  succeed  in  what  they  plot  ? 
I  do  not  fear  their  fire.  I  have  been  too  long  with  the 
man  who  never  dies." 

The  Sky-Sifter-  (I  shall  speak  of  both  the  sibyls  as 
one,  for  they  were  always  as  one  to  me)  then  gave  me 
some  money  for  my  mother  and  sent  me  home,  first 
giving  me  various  instructions.  All  I  had  to  tell  my 
mother  was  that  the  business  on  which  I  had  been  was 
private,  and  that  I  had  been  well  treated.  The  money 
I  carried  her  was  very  liberal  pay  for  the  time  I  had 
been  away. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  "THUNDER': 

PLANTS. 

Much  of  what  the  Sky-Sifter  had  told  me  was,  at  the 
time,  very  little  understood  by  me,  nor  did  I  then  know 
anything  of  the  places  she  mentioned  in  the  country 
beyond  the  lakes.  I  have  since  learned  that  "  Butte 
de  Mort,"  or  the  Hill  of  Death,  is  a  great  artificial 
mound  on  Fox  River,  Wisconsin,  under  which  are  said 
to  lie  the  bodies  of  warriors  killed  in  ancient  battles — 
battles  fought  long  before  Columbus  discovered  America. 
On  the  top  of  the  mound  are  thousands  of  buffalo  and 


86  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

human  skulls,  arranged  in  circles.  Butte  de  Mort  is 
an  object  cf  superstitious  awe  to  all  Indians. 

As  to  the  "Niddu  Tonnerre,"  or  Thunder's  Nest, 
Catlin  says:  "The  Thunder's  Nest  is  on  a  high  mound 
at  Coteau  des  Prairies,  where  is  situated  the  great 
Pipestone  Quarry.  In  a  bunch  of  bushes  on  the  top 
of  this  mound  a  very  small  bird  sits  upon  her  eggs  dur 
ing  fair  weather,  and  the  skies  are  rent  with  bolts  of 
thunder  at  the  approach  of  a  storm,  which  is  occasioned 
by  the  hatching  out  of  her  brood.  This  bird  is  eternal 
and  is  incapable  of  reproducing  her  own  species;  she 
has  often  been  seen  by  the  medicine  men,  and  is  about 
as  large  as  the  end  of  the  little  finger.  Her  mate  is  a 
serpent,  whose  fiery  tongue,  darting  down  from  the 
clouds,  destroys  the  young  ones  as  soon  as  they  are 
hatched,  and  the  fiery  noise  darts  through  the  skies." 

Of  the  Medicine  Rock  the  same  authority  says:  "It 
stands  like  an  immense  column,  thirty-five  feet  in 
height,  and  highly  polished  on  the  sides  and  top.  It 
requires  a  daring  effort  to  leap  on  to  its  top  from  the 
main  wall  and  back  again,  and  many  a  heart  has  sighed 
for  the  honor  of  the  feat  without  daring  to  make  the 
attempt.  Some  few  have  tried  it,  with  success,  and  left 
their  arrows  standing  in  the  crevice,  but  others  have 
fallen  from  the  slippery  surface  on  which  they  could  not 
hold,  and  suffered  instant  death  on  the  craggy  rocks 
below.  Those  who  succeed  in  performing  the  feat 
boast  of  it  all  their  lives." 

At  the  time  of  the  deluge  two  old  women  went  under 
this  rock  and  have  remained  there  ever  since.  Those 
who  intend  to  take  away  any  of  the  stone  for  use  in  the 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN     LIFE.  87 

manufacture  of  pipes,  must  deposit  offerings  to  the  two 
old  women,  who  lie  under  this  pillar  of  rock.  The 
"totems"  of  all  tribes  of  Indians  are  found  cut  deep 
in  the  face  of  the  perpendicular  rock,  forming  the  ledge 
of  the  Pipestone  Quarry.  It  has  been  visited  by  the 
Indians  of  all  parts  of  North  America  for  thousands  of 
years. 

As  regards  the  Sky-Sifter  telling  me  that  on  the 
night  of  the  medicine  feast  I  had  exposed,  before  all 
present,  the  plot  formed  against  her,  though  I  did  not 
then  understand  the  matter,  I  am  now  confident  that 
what  I  said  was  through  the  action  of  the  drink  that 
was  given  me.  The  Indian  medicine  me-n  have  experi 
mented  with  every  known  herb,  and  their  greatest 
discoveries  are  carefully  guarded — are  known  only  to 
those  among  them  who  are  of  the  highest  rank. 

In  proof  of  what  I  have  advanced,  I  will  say  that  no 
longer  ago  than  1888,  according  to  La  Luz,  a  Mexican 
newspaper,  the  deputy  of  Oaxaca,  Mr.  Prefect  Carrera, 
took  to  the  City  of  Mexico  a  plant  that  grows  in  Mix- 
teca,  which  the  Indians  call  the  "herb  of  prophecy." 
It  is  taken  in  various  doses,  and  in  a  few  moments  a 
sleep  is  produced  similar  in  all  respects  to,  and,  it  is 
said,  identical  with,  the  hypnotic  state.  The  patient 
answers  all  questions  that  are  put  to  him,  and  is  com 
pletely  insensible.  The  pathologic  state  induced  on 
whomsoever  partakes  of  the  herb,  brings  with  it  a  kind 
of  prophetic  gift  or  second-sight.  On  returning  to 
himself,  he  remembers  nothing  of  what  he  has  said  or 
done. 

As  showing   that  the  Indian  medicine  men  are  well 


88  THE     SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

acquainted  with  all  manner  of  plants,  I  shall  here  give 
place  to  an  incident  which  is  good  evidence  that  they 
are  always  on  the  alert  for  new  species.  While  the 
loways  were  exhibiting  in  London  they  were  invited 
to  visit  a  lady  who  owned  a  fine  place  called  Ealing 
Park,  a  few  miles  from  the  city.  While  there  the  young 
men  of  the  tribe  played  a  game  of  ball.  During  the 
game  the  ball  was  lost.  The  old  medicine  man,  Senon- 
tiyah,  in  looking  for  the  ball,  came  upon  a  beautiful 
conservatory  and  strolled  into  it.  He  did  not  dare  to 
remain  long,  but  after  the  party  had  returned  to  London 
the  old  man  could  think  of  nothing  but  the  new  plants 
he  had  seen.  He  said  that  in  just  casting  a  look  around 
he  thought  there  were  plants  there  that  he  had  not  yet 
been  able  to  find  in  his  own  country,  and  which  he 
stood  much  in  need  of.  He  thought,  from  what  he 
had  seen,  that  the  lady  must  be  a  "great  root  doctor." 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE    GHOST    OF    A    MURDERED    MAN. 

Some  months  after  the  ceremonies  of  the  "  medicine 
feast "  a  very  strange  thing  happened  me,  and  one  that 
caused  a  good  deal  of  wonder  and  excitement  at  the 
time  in  the  lower  settlement  of  the  Grand  River.  I  was 
walking  along  a  footpath,  or  trail,  that  led  through  a 
piece  of  woods,  with  a  neighbor,  when  I  said  to  him — 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  89 

I   being  behind  in  the  trail: — "Who  is  the  old  man 
ahead  of  us  ?  " 

"  I  see  nobody,"  said  the  neighbor.  "  Where  is  the 
man  you  see  ?  " 

*'  Just  ahead,  in  the  trail,"  said  I.  "  It's  strange  you 
don't  see  him." 

<f  How  near  is  he  ?     I  can  see  no  one.'1 

"  Not  three  rods  ahead  of  us — if  you  can't  see  him 
you  must  be  blind,"  said  I. 

The  neighbor  halted,  and,  turning  about,  looked  me 
in  the  face  and  laughed;  then  said:  "What  trick  are 
you  trying  to  play  ?  " 

I  was  astonished.  "  No  trick  at  all, "said  I.  "  Why, 
do  you  pretend  you  can't  see  the  man  ?  " 

"  Do  you  see  him  now  ?  "  said  the  neighbor. 

"  Certainly,"  said  I.  "  He  has  stopped,  and  is 
looking  back  at  us.  Don't  speak  so  loud,  he  must 
hear  us." 

"What  is  he  like?"  said  the  neighbor,  with  an 
incredulous  smile. 

"An  old,  gray-haired  man,"  said  I,  "with  a  fur 
cap  on  his  head.  In  one  hand  he  has  a  broad-ax,  and 
in  the  other  a  square  and  something  that  looks  like  a 
chalk  line  rolled  up  on  a  stick." 

"Is  he  still  standing  in  the  path  ?" 

"  Yes,  and  now  he  is  lifting  his  cap — there  is  blood 
on  his  forehead." 

"  What  nonsense  is  this  ?  "  said  the  neighbor,  "  when 
there  is  not  a  soul  in  sight." 

"  He  is  going  out  of  the  trail,"  whispered  I;  "he  is 
very  pale  and  is  going  to  faint." 


90  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

"  Which  way  is  he  going  ?  " 

"This  way/'  said  I,  and  I  walked  slowly  after 
the  man.  the  neighbor  following.  After  moving  slowly 
three  or  four  rods  from  the  trail,  the  old  man  stopped 
and,  to  my  great  terror,  steadily  settled  down  into  the 
ground  and  disappeared.  This  brought  me  to  a  halt. 

"What  is  the  matter  now?"  said  the  neighbor; 
"you  are  white  as  a  sheet." 

I  told  the  man  what  I  had  seen.  He  asked  me  to 
point  out  the  exact  spot  where  the  old  man  had  disap 
peared.  I  did  so,  and  he  took  his  knife  and  cutting 
two  or  three  sticks  thrust  them  into  the  ground  to  mark 
the  place.  All  this  happened  in  broad  daylight  and 
about  noon.  As  we  walked  on  through  the  bit  of 
woods  the  neighbor  said  he  had  heard  of  some  of  my 
tricks,  and  that  I  was  trying  to  play  myself  off  for  a 
sort  of  witch.  "  You  may  fool  some  of  the  old 
women,"  said  he,  "but  it  will  not  be  so  easy  to  pull 
the  wool  over  my  eyes." 

I  told  him  I  had  not  tried  to  fool  him;  that  I 
thought  the  man  was  the  same  as  any  pther  old  man 
till  I  saw  him  go  into  the  ground. 

"  We'll  see  about  that,"  said  he. 

On  passing  out  of  the  woods  we  came  to  the  farm  of 
an  old  man  named  Musante.  WThen  we  came  to  the 
farm  my  companion  called  old  man  Musante  out  to  his 
gate  and  told  him  what  I  had  said.  The  old  man 
listened  attentively  and  finally  asked  my  age.  I  told 
him,  when  he  turned  to  the  man  who  was  with  me  and 
said  :  "  This  is  a  strange  business.  The  boy  has  given  a 
good  description  of  old  man  Hickman,  who  disappeared 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  91 

mysteriously  about  seventeen  years  ago.  The  last  seen 
of  him  was  in  the  piece  of  woods  you  passed  through, 
where  he  was  hewing  timbers  for  a  barn.  He  was  a 
quarrelsome  old  fellow  and  had  trouble  with  both 
Indians  and  whites/' 

"  I  have  heard  something  of  the  old  man's  disap 
pearance,"  said  my  companion — "it  was  about  ten 
years  before  I  came  to  the  Grand  River  country;  but  I 
heard  he  was  seen  not  long  after  at  Buffalo,  on  a 
schooner  that  was  just  starting  up  the  lake." 

"Yes,  Dan  Crowley,  one  of  his  neighbors,  came 
home  from  Buffalo  with  that  story.  He  ought  to  have 
known  Hickman,  for  the  pair  were  always  fighting 
about  line  fences,  stock,  or  some  such  thing." 

"  Where  is  Crowley  ?  "  asked  my  companion. 

"Oh,  he  left  a  year  or  two  after;  sold  out  and  went 
West — God  knows  where,  perhaps  to  Texas,"  said 
Musante. 

I  was  then  closely  questioned  by  Musante  in  regard 
to  the  appearance  of  the  man  I  supposed  I  had  seen, 
and  I  again  went  over  the  description. 

"  How  was  he  dressed?"  asked  Musante.  "  What 
kind  of  a  coat  did  he  wear  ? " 

"No  coat,"  said  I;  "he  had  thrown  over  his 
shoulders  a  sort  of  red  woolen  jacket  or  shirt,  the 
sleeves  of  which  were  tied  together  in  front  across  his 
breast." 

"  Old  Hickman  to  a  dot  !  "  cried  Musante,  slapping 
his  thigh. 

My  doubting  neighbor  was  astonished  at  hearing 
this,  but  said  he  would  not  believe  that  I  had  seen  a 


92  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

man,  or  the  ghost  of  one,  where  he  could  see  nothing, 
unless  old  Hickman's  bones  were  found  in  the  spot 
where  he  had  planted  the  sticks.  In  short,  it  was 
resolved  to  explore  at  once. 

Musante  called  his  sons  and  sent  them  to  bring  in 
some  of  the  nearest  neighbors,  and  in  less  than  an 
hour  eight  or  ten  men  and  boys  were  ready  for  the 
search,  armed  with  a  mattock  and  two  or  three  spades. 

The  marked  spot  was  soon  found  and  two  men  began 
digging.  They  were  not  digging  in  exactly  the  right 
place  and  I  showed  them  where  to  turn  over  the  soil. 
One  of  the  men  who  had  a  spade  asked  how  I  knew  so 
well  where  the  hole  was  to  be  dug.  *'  Because,"  said 
I,  "  I  can  see  him." 

The  spade  fell  from  the  man's  hands  and  he  gazed 
at  me  with  open  mouth. 

4 '  Dig  where  he  tells  you,"  said  Musante;  "it's  a 
thing  I  can't  understand,  but  the  boy  has  got  old  man 
Hick.man  down  to  a  dot.  But  that  he  is  too  young  I'd 
believe  he  killed  the  old  fellow  himself." 

At  a  depth  of  about  two  feet  a  man  probed  the 
ground  with  a  ramrod  and  said  he  struck  something 
solid.  In  going  another  foot  bones  began  to  be  found, 
and  soon  the  whole  skeleton  of  a  man  was  laid  bare. 
In  the  hole  was  found  an  iron  square,  a  broad-ax,  and 
the  remains  of  a  chalk-line;  also  white  hair  and  bits  of 
a  fur  cap.  There  were  also  found  the  remains  of 
clothing,  and  the  knotted  sleeves  of  a  woolen  jumper 
were  particularly  well  preserved.  In  the  skull  over  the 
right  eye  was  found  a  bullet  hole. 

As  may  be  imagined,    this  discovery  made  a  great 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  93 

noise  -in  the  neighborhood.  All  agreed  that  Hickman 
had  been  waylaid  and  shot,  while  returning  from  his 
work,  by  Dan  Crowley,  who  had  pretended  that  he  had 
seen  him  in  Buffalo.  An  attempt  was  made  to  trace 
Crowley,  but  all  track  of  him  was  lost  at  Toledo. 

The  affair  gave  me  such  notoriety  that  I  several  times 
resolved  to  leave  the  country — to  run  away.  But  for 
my  mother  I  would  have  done  so.  I  was  more  than 
ever  worried  by  men  who  wanted  me  to  find  treasures 
and  other  things  for  them.  I  kept  out  of  sight  as  much 
as  possible.  The  Sky-Sifter  was  delighted  with  what 
had  happened.  I  was  much  with  her,  for  I  could  not 
help  myself;  when  I  felt  that  she  was  waiting  for  me 
at  a  certain  place,  I  was  obliged  to  go  to  her.  I  now 
think  she  knew  of  this  murder,  and,  by  her  hypnotic 
power,  made  me  see  what  she  herself  had  seen  years 
before.  It  may  be  that  it  was  to  test  my  fitness  for 
her  use,  that  she  caused  me  to  discover  the  grave  of 
the  murdered  man.  Just  what  she  found  out  through 
me,  I  do  not  know,  but  on  one  occasion,  when  I  found 
myself  coming  out  of  a  sleep,  she  said,  as  though  talk 
ing  to  herself  :  "Yes,  it  is  so;  it  is  yet  distant,  but 
they  will  try  it,"  referring,  I  suppose,  to  the  attempt 
that  was  to  be  made  on  her  life. 

The  man  who  was  with  me  at  the  time  I  saw  the 
apparition  of  the  murdered  man  in  the  path,  in  a  little 
time  became  a  source  of  great  annoyance  to  me — a 
regular  nuisance,  in  fact.  He  was  always  coming  to 
talk  with  me  about  the  "  appearance,"  as  he  called  it. 
From  being  a  doubter,  he  became  a  sort  of  doting  fol 
lower  of,  and  believer  in,  me  and  my  "  gift."  It  was  in 


94  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

vain  that  I  told  him  that  I  knew  no  more  about  the 
matter  than  he  himself,  that  I  thought  the  old  man  as 
much  alive  as  myself,  until  I  saw  him  go  into  the 
ground.  The  man  wanted  me  to  advise  him  about 
every  act  in  life,  and  would  have  done  anything  I  told 
him.  I  could  only  tell  him  never  to  do  what  seemed  to 
be  wrong. 


CHAPTER  XXI, 

SOME    HISTORICAL    APPARITIONS. 

In  history  are  noted  many  apparently  well  authen 
ticated  cases  similar,  in  every  respect,  to  that  of  the 
apparition  appearing  to  me  in  the  forest,  at  an  hour 
when  nothing  supernatural  is  supposed  to  be  abroad. 
The  following,  from  "  The  Philosophy  of  Mystery,"  by 
Walter  C.  Dendy,  is,  however,  still  more  remarkable. 
Briefly  told,  the  story  is  as  follows  :  "The  Baron  de 
Geramb,  on  returning  froiii  the  Port  to  Cadiz,  in  com 
pany  with  some  Spanish  ladies,  heard  a  voice  call  to 
him  in  French,  '  Save  me  !  help,  help  !'  He  paid 
but  little  attention  to  it  at  the  time.  On  the  following 
day  he  saw,  on  the  shore,  a  dead  body  laid  on  a  black 
plank,  lighted  by  torches  placed  at  each  side,  which 
he  gave  orders  to  have  covered.  A  tempest  having 
arisen  during  the  evening,  a  secret  impulse  attracted 
him  to  the  shore.  Greatly  to  his  surprise,  he  saw  arise 
from  the  spot  where  the  corpse  had  lain,  a  shapeless 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  95 

phantom,  shrouded  in  the  large  black  garment  that  ha 
had  sent.  The  spectre  began  to  take  prodigious 
strides,  taking  a  globular  form,  and  describing  circles  ; 
it  bounded  off,  and  appeared  at  a  distance  in  gigantic 
proportions. 

"The  Baron  followed  it  across  the  streets  of  Cadiz. 
The  noise  it  made  in  its  course  resembled  the  shivering 
of  autumn  leaves.  A  door  was  violently  opened;  the 
phantom  dashed  like  lightning  into  the  house,  and  sunk 
to  the  cellar.  Heavy  wailings  were  heard.  The  Baron 
descended,  and  found  the  corpse  naked  and  livid,  over 
which  hung  an  aged  man  heaving  sighs  of  misery  and 
despair.  In  an  obscure  corner  of  this  cellar  was  the 
phantom,  whirling  as  in  its  course  thither,  but  it  soon 
changed  to  a  bright  cloud.  This  was  again  metamor 
phosed  into  the  form  of  a  pale  young  man,  imitating 
the  undulating  movement  of  a  wave. 

' '  The  Baron  then  heard  a  sound  as  of  the  chanting  of 
anthems,  and  a  bright  young  girl  in  white  glided  in 
and  knelt  beside  the  dead.  He  was  so  overcome  that 
he  stole  away  from  the  place,  having  spoken  to  no  one 
and  not  knowing  how  much  of  what  he  saw  was  real 
and  how  much  supernatural." 

A  case  more  nearly  parallel,  however,  to  mine,  is  the 
following:  We  read  in  a  letter  from  Pliny,  Consul  of 
Sara,  that  there  was  a  house  in  Athens  haunted  by  a 
spirit  that  dragged  chains  after  it.  Athenodorus,  the 
philosopher,  hired  the  house,  determined  to  lay  the 
spirit.  At  the  approach  of  night  he  ordered  a  bed  to  be 
prepared,  and,  having  received  a  lamp,  his  pencil,  and 
tablets,  he  sent  away  his  slaves.  The  early  part  of 


96  THE     SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

the  night  passed  in  the  most  perfect  quiet,  but  at 
length  the  sound  of  chains  was  heard.  Instead  of 
raising  his  eyes  and  dropping  his  pencil,  he  continued 
his  studies  more  intensely.  The  noise  increased, 
until  at  length  it  sounded  at  his  very  door. 

Athenodorus  looked  up  and  beheld  the  spectre,  such 
as  it  had  been  represented;  it  stood  opposite  him, 
making  signs  with  its  fingers.  He  begged  it  to  wait 
awhile,  and  turned  again  to  his  papers;  but  the  phan 
tom,  again  clanking  its  chains,  renewed  its  signals. 
Athenodorus  arose,  and,  taking  the  light,  followed  it. 
The  spectre  advanced  slowly,  as  if  encumbered  by  its 
chains,  and  arrived  in  the  courtyard  of  the  house,  where 
it  suddenly  disappeared.  The  philosopher  marked  the 
spot  with  grass  and  leaves.  On  the  following  day  he 
informed  the  magistrates  of  the  event,  and  desired  that 
the  place  should  be  searched.  His  advice  was  followed, 
and  the  skeleton  of  a  man  in  chains  was  discovered. 
The  bones  were  collected  and  publicly  burned  (as  was 
then  the  practice  in  that  country),  and  the  spirit,  from 
that  time,  no  longer  haunted  the  house. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  DISASTROUS    RESULT  OF  MY  FIRST   iMEDICINE  TRICK. 

When  I  was  about  eighteen  years  of  age  the  Sky-Sif 
ter  told  me  that  she  wanted  me  to  marry  her  daughter 
Sapana  (The  Lily),  saying  she  would  give  me  one  thou- 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  97 

sand  acres  of  land  and  six  hundred  ponies.  I  told 
her  I  was  too  young  to  marry,  and  would  have  to 
obtain  the  consent  of  my  mother.  She  would  not  hear 
of  my  speaking  to  my  mother.  I  must  make  up  my 
mind  at  once,  as  something  was  soon  to  happen.  I 
asked  for  time  in  which  to  consider  a  matter  of  such 
grave  importance,  and,  thinking  to  put  her  off,  said  I 
had  no  place  to  live  in — no  house.  She  said  she  had 
thought  of  that,  and  the  thousand  acres  of  land  would 
include  the  house  and  farm  where  my  mother  lived. 
She  overruled  every  objection  I  made,  until  it  occurred 
to  me  to  take  her  on  her  own  ground  and  tell  her  I 
must  consult  my  "medicine."  This  beat  her.  It  was  a 
thing  to  which  she  could  not  object,  so  she  told  me 
to  perform  the  necessary  rites  as  soon  as  possible,  and 
sent  me  away. 

Although  her  daughter,  her  sister's  daughter,  or  who 
ever  she  was,  was  very  beautiful,  with  hair  two  yards  in 
length  and  so  light-skinned  that  she  would  have  passed 
anywhere  for  a  white  woman — a  brunette — I  had  never 
in  my  life  thought  of  her  for  a  wife;  indeed,  marriage 
at  that  time  had  never  once  entered  my  head.  Instead, 
I  was  always  planning  to  get  away  and  go  upon  the 
lakes  as  a  sailor.  This  being  the  case,  I  was  in  no 
hurry  to  "  consult  my  medicine,"  as  may  well  be  imag 
ined.  When  the  Sky-Sifter  dismissed  me  I  determined 
to  keep  out  of  her  sight  and  not  go  near  her,  however 
often  I  might  feel  her  calling  me.  I  had  a  rifle  and 
knew  well  how  to  use  it;  therefore,  I  determined  to  take 
to  the  woods  for  a  time  and  live  Indian  fashion.  Tell 
ing  my  mother  that  I  was  going  to  a  distant  settlement 


98  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

to  stop  with  some  friends  and  spend  a  few  days  in  hunt 
ing,  I  set  out. 

I  went  but  a  mile  or  two  from  home  when  I  looked 
'up  a  good  camping  place,  halted,  and  began  to  hunt 
squirrels  and  other  small  game.  It  was  in  the  latter 
part  of  summer,  and  for  bread  I  made  raids  on  the 
cornfields,  where  I  found  plenty  of  roasting  ears. 

It  was  a  kind  of  wild  life  that  suited  me,  and  I  en 
joyed  myself  heartily.  In  the  neighborhood  were  three 
or  four  Indian  families  that  I  did  not  like,  and  the 
Evil  Spirit  put  it  into  my  head  to  worry  them.  I  found 
an  old  charcoal  pit,  and,  having  made  my  preparations, 
I  had  in  one  night  stones  heating  for  all  of  them. 
Near  all  their  houses  I  left  on  the  grass  images  and 
tracks  of  the  devil. 

The  next  day  I  got  up  among  the  thick  foliage  of  a 
tree  near  the  main  road,  and  soon  saw  that  there  was 
a  grand  commotion  among  the  Indians.  Gangs  of 
them  were  running  from  house  to  house,  and  some  of 
the  women  were  raising  a  wail  that  would  have  done 
no  discredit  to  a  pack  of  coyotes. 

I  laughed  till  I  almost  fell  out  of  my  tree.  "Oh, 
ho  ! "  said  I,  "  my  old  woman  of  the  lone  hut  will  do 
a  fine  stroke  of  business  to-day.  She  will  have  a  full 
day's  work  at  driving  out  devils  !  " 

On  descending  from  my  lookout  station  I  went  to  my 
camp  and  made  a  hearty  meal,  as  I  had  shot  two  or 
three  fine  young  squirrels  during  my  walk  down  to  the 
road.  Having  on  hand  a  supply  of  meat,  I  concluded 
to  scout  down  to  the  edge  of  the  clearing  and  see  if  all 
was  quiet  at  my  mother's  house.  I  climbed  up  a  small 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  99 

tree  by  the  clearing,  and,  at  the  first  glance,  came  near 
tumbling  to  the  ground.  About  a  dozen  Indians  were 
there,  and  my  mother,  who  stood  in  front  of  the  cabin, 
was  gesticulating  wildly. 

As  I  was  still  gazing  in  terror,  I  saw  a  wooden  shut 
ter  that  was  in  the  gable  end  of  the  cabin  open,  and  an 
Indian  thrust  out  his  head  and  make  some  signs  to 
those  below.  They  were  searching  the  loft,  my  sleep 
ing  place  when  at  home. 

It  did  not  need  anyone  to  tell  me  what  was  on  foot;  I 
knew  they  were  searching  for  me.  My  mother  would  tell 
them  I  was  at  the  other  settlement,  but  they  would  not 
believe  her.  They  would  no  doubt  imagine  that  I  had 
taken  to  the  woods,  and  would  search  closely  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  clearing.  I  then  thought  seriously 
of  a  warning  some  white  friends  had  given  me,  which 
was  that  the  Indians  had  said  my  "  medicine  was  too 
strong;"  that  I  was  a  "worse  witch  than  the  Sky- 
Sifter."  My  finding  the  remains  of  old  Hickman  had 
particularly  impressed  them;  in  fact,  it  had  quite  set 
tled  my  case  with  them,  as  they  saw  that  even  the 
white  men  said  that  the  discovery  was  made  by  super 
natural  power. 

I  ran  swiftly  to  my  camp,  and,  collecting  the  supply 
of  food  I  had  left  there,  struck  out  into  the  thickest 
part  of  the  forest.  I  did  not  feel  safe  until  I  had 
traveled  nearly  three  miles  and  was  hidden  in  a  dense 
thicket.  There  I  lay  till  toward  night.  I  began  to 
feel  very  hungry,  but  dared  not  make  a  fire,  as  the 
smoke  would  betray  my  hiding  place.  "If  I  had 
some  charcoal,"  thought  I,  "I  would  be  all  right 


IOO  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

and  would  be  able  to  roast  my  squirrels  and  corn." 

I  presently  thought  of  the  Indian  substitute  for  char 
coal  on  occasions  when  a  smokeless  fire  was  needed, 
and,  creeping  abroad,  I  soon  collected  a  quantity  of 
coals  from  half  burnt  logs  and  trees,  gouging  them 
off  with  my  hunting  knife.  With  my  knife  and  a 
sharpened  stick  I  then  dug  a  pit  about  two  feet  deep, 
in  which  I  kindled  a  fire  and  roasted  my  corn  and 
meat. 

After  my  meal  I  became  thirsty,  and,  venturing  out 
in  search  of  water,  found  near  at  hand  a  small  creek. 
Being  as  well  situated  as  I  could  hope  to  be,  anywhere 
in  the  forest,  I  determined  to  remain  there  that  night, 
and  strike  out  next  morning  through  trie  woods  to  the 
nearest  white  settlement,  and  thence  make  across  the 
lake  to  Buffalo,  to  the  house  of  my  mother's  friend. 

This  being  settled,  I  had  only  to  ask  the  protection 
of  the  Great  Spirit.  As  this  must  be  done — or  would 
be  best  done — through  the  intervention  of  my  "totern," 
I  took  off  my  medicine  bag,  and,  placing  it  on  a  scaf 
fold  of  four  sticks,  planted  in  due  forrruwith  regard  to 
the  points  of  the  compass,  as  well  as  I  could  by  the 
setting  sun,  I  then  made  my  sacrifice  of  meat  and 
corn,  taking  all  risks  from  the  smell  and  the  thin  line  of 
smoke  that,  for  a  minute  or  two,  arose  from  the  coals. 
I  very  earnestly  prayed  to  the  Great  Spirit,  and  appealed 
not  only  to  my  own  totem  to  intercede  for  me,  but  also 
to  those  of  all  the  wise  and  good  ancients  in  regular 
order,  as  they  were  inscribed  on  the  four  sides  of  my 
medicine  stick. 

At  that  time  I  best  knew  how  to  address  myself  to 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  IOI 

the  Almighty  after  the  manner  of  his  red  children,  and 
I  still  see  very  little  difference  ;  it  is  the  same  God 
under  a  different  name,  and  most  peoples  have  a  name 
for  the  Supreme  Being  that  is  different  from  that  used 
by  the  English,  Nor  can  I  see  any  harm  in  either  the 
sacrifice  or  the  totems,  the  latter  being  addressed  in  the 
same  way  as  are  the  saints  among  the  Catholics.  Even 
my  special  totem  was  not  a  mere  turtle.  Through  it  I 
fell  under  the  special  protection  of  an  ancient  whose 
totem  was  the  same,  and  for  that  reason  was  engraved 
on  my  prayer  or  medicine  stick. 

After  I  had  made  my  offerings,  said  my  prayers  to 
the  Great  Spirit,  and  asked  the  aid  of  all  my  saints,  I 
felt  quite  secure  and  was  thoroughly  comforted.  Almost 
immediately  after  I  had  concluded  my  devotions,  a 
small  flock  of  wild  turkeys  passed  near  me  in  a  leisurely 
way,  feeding  as  they  moved  along.  This  told  me  that 
no  Indians  were  near. 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 

MY    FOSTER    MOTHER    APPEARS. 

When  it  grew  dark  I  curled  up  in  a  pile  of  dry 
leaves  that  I  had  collected,  and  prepared  to  go  to 
sleep,  thinking  of  the  route  I  would  take  in  the  morn 
ing.  I  had  fallen  into  a  dreamy,  half-asleep  state  when 
I  was  aroused  by  hearing  near  at  hand  the  sharp  bark 
ing  of  a  wolf.  In  an  instant  my  hand  was  on  my  rifle 


102  THE    SKY-SIFTEK,    OR 

and  I  was  sitting  up.  Sitting  with  the  cocked  gun 
ready  in  my  hands,  I  strained  my  ears  but  could  hear 
no  movement  near  or  far. 

I  thought  I  must  have  been  dreaming  and  was  about 
lying  down  again  when  I  heard  called  in  a  low  tone, 
"  Oron-ya-deka  !  "  It  was  the  voice  of  the  Sky-Sifter, 
and  looking  up  I  could  make  out  her  towering  form  just 
at  my  feet. 

"  Oron-ya-deka,"  repeated  she,  "arise!  the  time  has 
come.  Arise!  Oron-ya-deka^  and  follow  me." 

I  at  once  got  upon  my  feet,  when,  taking  me  by  the 
hand,  she  led  me  out  of  the  thicket.  We  moved  in 
silence  to  the  little  creek  and  down  it  until  we  came  to 
an  open  spot  that  was  dimly  lighted  by  the  stars.  In 
this  she  halted  and  said  :  "  What  did  you  in  the 
thicket  ?  " 

'.'  I  sacrificed  to  the  Great  Spirit  and  prayed  to  make 
my  medicine  good  and  my  heart  strong,"  said  I. 

"That  is  true,"  said  she,  "and  it  was  well.  Why 
did  you  ask  for  a  strong  heart  to-night  ?  "  I  told  her 
all  and  excused  my  conduct  by  saying  that  I  had 
thought  only  of  frightening  people  I  did'  not  like  and 
making  some  work  for  the  old  woman  of  the  hut. 

"You  have  but  hastened  that  which  was  to  be," 
said  she. 

I  expressed  my  sorrow. 

"  Say  no  more,  it  was  to  be.  But  do  you  know 
you  are  in.  danger?  You  must  not  go  back  to  your 
mother's  house.  It  has  been  searched  for  you  and  it 
will  be  watched." 

"  I  know  it,"  said  I. 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  103 

"  Ah  !  "  said  she  in  surprise — "  you  know  it  ?  Your 
medicine  is  still  good." 

I  told  her  how  I  knew  of  the  search.  "  Your  medi 
cine  is  strong,  or  you  would  not  have  gone  to  watch." 

I  said  :     "  I  believe  the  Good  Spirit  guided  me." 

"  To-day,"  said  she,  "but  who  was  with  you  last 
night?" 

"The  Evil  Spirit,"  said  I. 

"Yes,  and  you  know  why — you  know  how  he  get 
power  over  you  for  a  time.  It  is  bad  when  the  tongue 
and  heart  are  apart." 

I  was  silent.     I  had  lied  to  her  and  she  knew  it. 

"  Son,"  said  she,  "let  all  again  be  peace  between 
us.  I  asked  too  much  of  you  at  your  age.  I  was 
wrong,  but  I  knew  what  was  coming  and  the  time  was 
short.  The  time  is  now  here.  You  hastened  it,  but 
it  was  by  a  foolish  trick  I  taught  you.  Now  we  both 
see  that  it  is  not  good  to  have  to  do  with  the  Evil 
Spirit,  even  in  jest.  I  am  glad  that  to-day  you  sacri 
ficed  and  prayed  to  the  Good  Spirit." 

"You  will  not  die/'  said  I,  much  moved  by  her 
kindness.  "No,  you  will  not  die,  I  have  seen  you. 
When  they  think  you  are  dead  you  will  stand  with  me 
and  look  down  on  them  from  the  hilltop." 

"  I  believe  you,  Oron-ya-deka;  your  medicine  is 
good,"  said  she;  then  raising  her  medicine  whistle  to 
her  lips,  she  sounded  a  low  note.  Immediately  there 
came  from  the  edge  of  the  wood  the  sharp  bark  of  a 
wolf. 

In  a  moment  thereafter,  the  man  1  had  seen  at 
my  medicine  feast  in  the  mask  and  dress  of  a  wolf — 


IO4  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

"  the  one  who  never  dies  " — made  his  appearance. 
He  and  the  Sky-Sifter  exchanged  a  few  words  in  a  low 
tone,  when  he  came  to  me,  and,  giving  me  a  medicine 
grip,  turned  and  disappeared  in  the  forest. 

The  Sky-Sifter  then  told  me  that  the  little  creek  near 
us  was  the  one  on  which  stood  her  wigwam.  She 
said  that  those  who  intended  to  burn  her  as  a  witch 
would  come  at  midnight.  She  further  said:  "I  was 
watched  this  evening  by  two  spies.  They  saw  me  go 
into  my  house  and  ever  since  one  has  been  on  guard 
to  make  sure  that  I  do  not  get  out,  while  the  other  has 
gone  to  lead  on  my  enemies.  All  this  because  I 
strove  to  hold  them  to  the  religion  of  their  fathers — to 
keep  alive  in  them  Mohawk  hearts,  whatever  they 
might  be  outwardly." 

We  then  moved  cautiously  down  the  creek  till  near 
the  wigwam,  when  we  turned  and  ascended  the  little 
hill  at  the  base  of  which  the  bark-covered  habitation 
stood.  The  hill  was  covered  with  a,  thick  growth  of 
bushes  and  small  saplings. 

After  a  time  the  Sky-Sifter  halted,  and  listened 
intently.  She  then,  with  some  small  thing,  made  a 
noise  like  the  screeching  of  a  bat.  Immediately  there 
were  answering  squeaks  near  at  hand.  She  then  charged 
me  not  to  move  from  the  spot,  nor  utter  a  sound,  no 
matter  how  horrid  the  yells  and  shrieks  I  might  hear, 
until  she  again  made  her  appearance  by  my  side.  I 
promised  strict  obedience,  and  in  a  moment  thereafter 
I  saw  the  Sky-Sifter  sink  down  and  disappear  into  the 
ground. 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  107 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 

THE    SKY -SIFTER    IN    THE     BURNING    WIGWAM. 

For  some  time  all  remained  silent  as  death.  Below 
where  I  stood  I  could  distinctly  see  the  outlines  of  the 
wigwam,  only  about  two  or  three  rods  away.  Presently 
I  saw  a  flash  of  light,  and,  peering  down  through  the 
thick  foliage  of  the  bushes,  I  could  see  that  the  torch 
had  been  applied  to  the  hut.  A  quantity  of  very 
inflammable  material  had  been  heaped  against  the 
door,  to  prevent  escape  in  that  direction.  Dusky  forms 
were  moving  silently  about,  all  within  a  short  distance 
of  the  flames.  Evidently  they  were  anxiously  waiting 
to  see  some  sign  of  life  within  the  wigwam.  They  did 
not  have  long  to  wait.  Soon  the  door  of  the  wigwam 
was  partly  opened,  then  quickly  closed.  A  suppressed 
yell  of  mingled  triumph  and  derision  burst  from  the 
throats  of  the  Indians  scattered  about  the  burning 
structure.  They  had  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  Sky- 
Sifter.  Being  assured  that  she  was  within,  they  felt 
secure  of  their  prey. 

Nearly  all  one  side  of  the  hut  was  on  fire,  and  there 
was  no  escape  by  the  door.  The  Sky-Sifter  tore  away 
some  bark  at  the  opposite  side,  and  I  could  hear  her 
talking  loudly  and  rapidly  ;  she  was  appealing  to  the 
rabble  to  spare  her  life,  to  allow  her  to  give  herself  up, 
and  stand  trial  for  any  wrong  she  had  done.  She  was 
answered  with  jeers,  and  on  all  sides  arose  cries  of 
"  Let  her  burn!  "  "  Burn  the  witch!  " 

The  Sky-Sifter  showed  her  face  for  an  instant  at  two 
or  three  openings,  when  her  enemies  cried:  "  Back, 


108  THE    SKY-SIFTER,    OR 

or  we  shoot  ! "  As  the  flames  enwrapped  the  hut 
shrieks  of  agony  were  heard  to  mingle  with  the  crack 
ling  of  the  fire.  These  terrible  cries  were  answered 
by  the  taunting  and  exultant  shouts  and  yells  of  the 
savages  dancing  about  in  the  light  of  the  fire,  all 
brandishing  guns  or  clubs  and  wildly  gesticulating. 

The  shrieks  of  the  Sky-Sifter  fast  grew  weaker,  and 
at  last  ceased  with  a  long-drawn,  stifled  wail.  At  this 
time  the  whole  interior  of  the  wigwam  was  an  oven  of 
fire,  and  soon  the  roof  and  one  side  fell  in.  Still  the 
Indian  witch-burners  howled  and  danced  about  the 
place. 

The  wild  shrieks  and  awful  moans  that  had  been 
issuing  from  the  flaming  hut  had  filled  me  with  horror. 
Notwithstanding  that  I  had  been  forbidden  to  move  or 
make  the  least  noise,  thinking  I  was  listening  to  the 
dying  cries  of  my  foster-mother,  I  determined  to  avenge 
her  by  putting  a  bullet  through  at  least  one  of  her  mur 
derers.  I  began  to  maneuyer  to  get  a  fair  shot,  and  at 
last  one  of  them  halted  and  stood  in  a  good  light.  In 
a  moment  my  rifle  was  cocked  and  at  my  shoulder. 
Just  as  I  was  pressing  the  trigger  I  felt  a  touch  on  the 
shoulder.  Turning,  I  found  the  Sky-Sifter  by  my  side, 
erect  and  grand  as  ever  in  her  life,  and  with  not  so 
much  as  a  hair  nor  a  feather  singed. 

She  smiled  grimly  when  she  saw  what  I  had  been 
about  to  do,  then  making  a  sign  of  silence  drew  me 
some  paces  up  the  side  of  the  little  hill,  when  we 
turned  and  looked  down  upon  the  fire  and  the  Indians 
who  still  circled  and  jabbered  about  the  ruins,  all  the 
walls  of  the  wigwam  being  down,  forming  a  mass  of 


MYSTERIES    OF    INDIAN    LIFE.  109 

poles,  beams,  and  bark  that  burned  with  an  intense 
heat. 

The  Sky-Sifter's  face  for  a  moment  lighted  up  with  a 
triumphant  smile,  as  she  looked  down  upon  the  ruins  of 
her  wigwam  and  the  enemies  who  supposed  they  had 
heard  her  "  death-wail."  It  was  only  a  passing  gleam, 
then  her  face  resumed  its  usual  calm.  Placing  a  finger 
on  her  lips  and  signing  to  me  to  follow,  she  led  the 
way  over  the  crest  of  the  ridge  into  the  darkness. 

When  we  had  advanced  a  few  rods  we  came  to  a 
little  opening  where  there  was  some  light  from  the 
heavens.  In  this  spot  we  halted,  and  my  guide  took  up 
a  blade  of  grass  and,  placing  it  in  her  mouth,  imitated 
exactly  the  call  of  a  katydid.  In  a  moment  the  signal 
was  answered,  then  came  forth  to  us  from  the  forest 
shadows  a  second  Sky-Sifter,  the  exact  counterpart  of 
the  one  standing  by  my  side.  As  she  came  up  to  us 
•she  said  :  "  It  is  finished." 

"  It  is  finished,"  echoed  the  being  by  my  side. 

When  the  newcomer  turned  to  me  and  said  :  "So, 
Oron-ya-deka,  thinking  my  enemies  had  taken  my  life, 
you  determined  to  avenge  me  ?  " 

I  was  confused  and  only  said:  "  You  or  your 
sister." 

"  We  are  the  same,"  said  both  women  as  with  one 
voice.  Then  the  newcomer  said:  "  It  would  not  have 
been  well,  and  soon  you  will  find  that  we  are  better 
guarded." 

"  Better  guarded?"  said  I,  not  well  knowing  what 
was  meant. 

"  Yes,"  said  one  of  the  sister  sibyls;    "  yes,   better 


110  THE    SKY-SIFTER. 

guarded.  At  the  sound  of  a  whistle  all  dancing  about 
that  poor  hut  would  have  fallen  to  the  ground,  dead 
men." 

I  could  only  wonder  at  this  and  hold  my  peace. 

I  was  then  told  that  word  had  been  sent  to  my  mother 
that  I  was  safe,  and  that  I  was  to  remain  in  the  forest 
until  after  the  funeral. 

"The  funeral?"  cried  I,  unable  to  conceal  my 
astonishment;  "  whose  funeral  ?  " 

"Ours,"  said  both  my  foster-mothers,  in  a  breath. 

"  But  you  are  not  dead!  "  cried  I. 

"  You  may  mistake  there,"   was  the  answer. 

"Our  body,"  said  they,  ' '  lies  yonder  in  those  smoul 
dering  ruins.  In  the  morning  our  husband  will  recover 
our  poor  remains,  and  there  will  then  be  a  great  funeral. 
The  men  who  fired  the  hut  will  be  there — not  a  Mohawk 
will  dare  remain  away.  We  shall  have  at  our  funeral 
a  few  real,  and  many  pretended,  mourners." 

As  all  this  was  bewildering  to  me,  I  remained  silent. 

Plucking  a  blade  of  grass,  one  of  the  sisters  again 
imitated  the  call  of  the  katydid. 

Instantly,  there  was  in  the  shadows  of  the  forest  a 
squeaking,  as  of  bats  or  flying-squirrels,  and  in  a  moment 
"  the  man  who  never  dies  "  made  his  appearance  in  his 
wolf  dress  and  mask. 


A  NIGHT  IN  A  CAVERN.  in 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

A    NIGHT    IN    A    CAVERN. 

The  Wolf-Man  came  directly  to  me  and,  taking  my 
hand,  gave  me  a  medicine  grip.  The  two  Sky-Sifters 
then  made  the  sign  of  silence,  and  side  by  side  moved 
backward  into  the  shades  of  the  forest. 

"  You  will  see  her  again/'  said  the  Wolf-Man, 
observing  that  I  stood  mutely  gazing  toward  where  my 
foster-mothers  had  disappeared. 

"Her!"  said  I.     "Which  one?" 

"  Both,"  said  my  companion,  f '  or  one,  as  you  please. 
Yet  they  are  only  one,  though  at  times  they  allow 
their  two  bodies  to  be  seen  together.  You  see  no 
difference  whether  one  body  is  before  you  or  both.  It 
is  great  medicine  and  only  happens  once  in  a  thousand 
years.  It  is  a  great  soul  that  fills  the  two  bodies.  It 
is  the  only  soul  permitted  to  have  two  bodies.  I  have 
known  it  in  all  the  bodies  it  has  inhabited  from  the 
beginning.  It  is  my  sister.  I  have  not  two  sisters; 
my  only  sister  is  the  soul  that  inhabits  the  two  bodies 
you  see.  In  the  beginning  there  was  given  my  soul  as 
a  habitation,  a  body  that  never  dies,  and  to  my  sister 
soul  two  bodies  that  die  at  the  end  of  each  thousand 
years.  Then  it  appears  again,  and  I  know  by  certain 
signs  in  what  part  of  the  world  it  is.  I  now  have  the 
appearance  of  an  Indian;  next  I  may  again  take  on 
the  appearance  of  an  African — as  I  have  often  done 
before — that  of  a  Caucasian,  or  a  Mongolian — it  all 
depends  upon  my  sister  soul.  It  is  a  great  mystery, 
and  why  it  is  so  you  will  not  know  in  this  life.  I  have 


112  A    NIGHT    IN    A    CAVERN. 

told  you  these  things  because  you  are  a  near  relation 
of  mine,"  and  he  touched  my  forehead  and  face. 

"  Your  relation  !  Me  ?  "  cried  I  in  astonishment,  as 
the  man  still  fondly  stroked  my  face. 

"Yes,  my  nephew.  You  are  as  much  the  son  of  my 
sister  as  are  the  two  girls  you  will  see  weeping  at  her 
funeral  are  her  daughters,  I  believe  you  know  that 
but  for  her  you  would  have  been  born  a  girl.  The 
man  who  thinks  he  is  the  husband  of  my  sister,  knows 
nothing  about  her.  He  knows  another  body  that  has, 
at  times,  worn  the  appearance  of  my  sister.  That  body 
he  will  recover  from  the  ruins  of  the  hut,  and  bury  as 
the  remains  of  his  wife  ;  and  so  they  are,  but  still  they 
are  those  of  the  old  woman  in  whose  lone  hut  you 
stopped  one  night — the  night  before  your  medicine 
feast.  She  did  not  always  look  as  you  saw  her.  Per 
haps  at  the  very  time  you  thought  her  body  was 
stretched  across  the  door  of  the  hut  in  which  you  slept, 
she  was  in  the  house  where  live  the  two  girls  you  call 
the  daughters  of  the  Sky-Sifter,  and  was  being  treated 
by  them  as  their  mother  ;  which  she  really  was,  to  a 
certain  extent,  while  they  are  only  daughters  of  the 
Sky-Sifter  by  proxy.  You  may  think  it  cruel  to  allow 
her  to  be  burned  to  death  in  the  hut,  but  it  was  her 
choice,  and  one  she  made  nearly  a  hundred  years  ago, 
when  she  was  ninety  years  old,  and  dying.  She  was 
then  offered  renewed  life,  provided  she  would  under 
take  and  do  what  she  has  done.  You  may  now  sup 
pose  that  three  Sky-Sifters  might  have  appeared  before 
you  as  readily  as  two,  but  it  could  not  have  been. 
When  the  old  woman  you  saw  in  the  hut  appeared  as 


A    NIGHT    IN    A    CAVERN.  113 

the  Sky-Sifter,  one  of  the  others  was  seen  as  the  "  old 
woman  of  the  hut."  It  was  one  of  the  bodies  of  my 
sister  that  lay  across  the  door  of  the  hut  nearly  the 
whole  of  the  night  you  were  there — it  was  a  real  Sky- 
Sifter.  Several  changes  were  made  while  you  stopped 
at  that  hut.  It  was  a  Sky-Sifter  that  guided  you  to 
the  secret  meeting-place — the  place  of  the  medicine 
feast  in  the  forest.  It  is  a  great  mystery.  Now  look 
about  you." 

Instantly  lights  flashed  before  me  of  such  dazzling 
brightness  that  I  was  blinded  and  forced  to  close  my 
eyes.  When  I  regained  my  powers  of  vision  I  found 
myself  not  in  the  forest,  as  I  had  all  the  time  supposed, 
but  in  a  great  cavern  lighted  by  many  resinous  torches. 
The  light  of  the  torches  was  reflected  and  re-reflected 
by  a  thousand  glittering  stalactites  that  hung  down  from 
the  roof  and  the  celled  sides  of  the  cavern.  The  cav 
ern  was  of  great  height  and  length;  ranged  along  the 
two  side  walls  were  a  great  number  of  Indians  of  both 
sexes  in  strange  and  brilliantly  ornamented  dresses — 
many  with  towering  plumes  of  feathers  upon  their  heads. 

My  uncle,  the  Wolf-Man,  took  off  his  mask  and 
asked  me  to  look  at  his  face.  I  saw  before  me  a  man 
with  a  full  brown  beard,  brown  wavy  hair,  brownish- 
bronze  complexion,  and  bright  hazel  eyes. 

"  In  me,  as  I  now  stand  before  you, "said  he,  "  you 
see  blended  all  the  colors,  complexions,  and  character 
istics  of  all  the  human  beings  in  whose  shape  I  have 
ever  existed — of  the  whole  human  race,  indeed.  As 
you  now  see  me,  so  in  time  will  be  the  whole  human 
race.  When  that  time  arrives,  human  beings  will  no 


TI4  A    NIGHT    IN    A    CAVERN. 

longer  pass  through  the  change  now  known  as  death  : 
all  will  be  as  I  am,  ever-living.  You  see  many  people 
here.  Some  of  these  have  been,  and  some  are,  even  as 
you  are.  Few  that  you  see  before  you  are  immortals 
in  the  perfect  sense,  though  the  original  bodies  of  some 
have  been  dust  for  a  thousand  years,  and  the  bodies 
they  afterwards  occupied  for  various  lengths  of  time 
are  also  dust.  Most  of  those  before  you  must  again 
have  their  souls  lodged  in  dwellings  of  flesh — they  must 
be  born  again,  and  again  '  become  little  children.' 
This  may  astonish  you,  but  it  is  true.  The  people  of 
the  world  are  constantly  growing  in  knowledge,  and  at 
each  new  birth  the  soul  is  brought  under  better  influ 
ences.  Finally,  all  attain  to  the  perfection  that  places 
them  among  the  real  immortals.  Ages  from  now  will 
come  the  time  when  man  will  not  require  to  die  and  be 
born  again.  All  will  then  be  of  one  hue  and  one  form, 
and  all  will  be  perfect  in  every  virtue.  Then  will  man 
at  last  be  permitted  to  partake  of  the  fruit  of  the  tree 
that  stood  '  in  the  midst  of  the  garden  ' — the  tree  of 
everlasting  life — and  the  cherubims  and  the  flaming 
sword  that  have  guarded  that  fruit  from'the  beginning, 
will  leave  the  way  free  to  all  the  race  of  Adam." 

As  the  "  man  who  never  dies  "  thus  spoke,  the  Sky- 
Sifters  made  their  appearance.  Between  them  moved 
a  young  woman,  attired  after  the  manner  of  the 
Mohawks  when  dressed  in  their  own  old-time  costume. 
I  glanced  inquiringly  from  her  face  to  that  of  my  com 
panion  and  guide.  He  divined  my  thoughts  and  said  : 
"  The  person  you  see  with  the  Sky-Sifters  is  the  old 
woman  of  the  lone  hut,  she  whose  body  was  destroyed 


A    NIGHT    IN    A    CAVERN.  115 

to-night  in  the  wigwam.  You  see  her  now  as  she  was 
in  her  best  days  in  her  first  life,  though  more  beautiful, 
for  in  her  spirit  form  she  has  been  freed  from  all  blem 
ishes  incident  to  the  mere  fleshly  body.  She  now 
knows  a  degree  of  happiness  undreamed  of  in  her  for 
mer  state." 

"The  Sky-Sifters,  too,"  said  I,  "seem  brighter  and 
happier  than  I  have  ever  before  seen  them." 

"They  are  more  radiant,"  said  my  guide,  "for  the 
reason  that  that  portion  of  their  spirit  which  formerly 
animated  the  old  woman  of  the  lone  hut  has  again 
returned  to  them.  How  that  can  be  is  also  a  mystery 
that  you  cannot  comprehend  in  your  present  state  of 
existence.  I  may  tell  you,  for  it  is  recorded  in  the 
Holy  Bo.ok,  that  in  the  days  of  old,  when  man  was 
created  on  the  earth,  many  immortals,  '  sons  of  God/ 
visited  this  world,  and,  assuming  human  forms,  took 
wives  among  the  daughters  of  men.  The  children  born 
to  the  immortals  by  the  mortals  became  mighty  men, 
and  there  are  still  those  on  the  earth  among  men  who 
have  in  them  a  faint  spark  of  this  immortal  race,  and 
through  it  they  are  endowed  with  so  much  of  the  gift  of 
prevision  as  to  give  them  glimpses  into  futurity.  As 
for  myself  and  my  sister  soul,  we  are. of  that  time  when 
immortals  were  on  the  earth,  but  are  not  of  those  who 
intermarried  with  human  beings,  as  there  were  other 
conditions  under  which  we  might  remain  on  this  planet, 
as  it  became  necessary  for  us  to  do,  for  certain  reasons 
•not  to  be  named.  I  am  here  under  one  set  of  condi 
tions,  and  my  sister  soul  under  another.  Throughout 
this  planet  you  see  that  the  male  and  female  principle 


Il6  A    NIGHT    IN    A    CAVERN. 

exists  in  all  things  that  have  life  of  any  kind,  even  to 
vegetable  growths.  Though  the  Great  Spirit  is  usually 
spoken  of  as  one,  the  oldest  Hebrew  name  for  the 
Supreme  Ruler  is  most  correct.  It  is  Elohim,  which 
means,  not  one  alone,  but  two  Great  Spirits,  or  two  in 
one,  and  you  may  guess  from  what  I  have  said  what 
these  are.  Were  there  only  one  the  name  would  be 
Eloah.  Man -was  created  in  the  likeness  of  God,  male 
and  female.  As  the  first  mortals  were  male  and 
female  of  one  flesh,  so  their  immortal  part  was  of  one 
spirit,  but  male  and  female.  From  this  you  may  guess 
my  nature  and  that  of  my  sister  soul,  a  soul  that  for  a 
mysterious  reason  animates  two  bodies.  More  I  may 
not  tell.  As  I  said  before,  some  that  you  see  here 
are  even  as  you  are;  others  have  been  as  you  are,  but 
have  advanced  some  steps.  Those  who  are  as  you  are 
know  no  more  than  you  of  these  things,  but  of  the 
woman  whose  body  only  this  night  perished  in  the 
wigwam  it  may  be  said,  that  already  her  knowledge  as 
far  surpasses  yours  as  mine  surpasses  that  of  a  new 
born  babe." 

Much  more  to  the  same  effect  was  told  me,  as  that 
there  were  forms  present  seen  by  the  highest  of  the 
medicine  men  which  were  invisible  to  me,  and  others 
that  could  be  looked  upon  by  no  mortal  eyes.  We 
then  moved  on,  and  I  found  that  as  yet  we  were  in  a 
mere  hall  or  ante-chamber.  The  chamber  seemed  of 
immense  length,  and  now  thousands  of  forms  were 
moving  through  it,  all  gazing  forward  earnestly.  With 
these  we  mingled  and  advanced. 

At  last  we  came  to  an  immense  screen  or  curtain  of 


A    NIGHT    IN    A    CAVERN.  I  17 

rock  on  which  were  inscribed  as  in  fire  the  totems  of 
all  the  race  of  red  men.  This  crossed  the  ante 
chamber,  yet  left  broad  ways  on  either  side.  Toward 
that  on  the  right  moved  all  who  were  going  forward, 
while  by  that  on  the  left  came  those  forms  that  were 
returning. 

Taking  my  hand  my  guide  said  :  "  We  will  now 
pass  behind  the  veil/' 

Turning  my  eyes  upon  him  I  found  that  his  usual 
dress  was  gone  and  he  appeared  robed  in  glistening 
white.  Instinctively  I  then  dropped  my  gaze  to  my 
own  person  and  saw  that  I  was  attired  in  a  sort  of 
tunic  of  red.  I  was  surprised  and  doubtless  looked  it, 
.as  my  companion  said:  "That  is  your  color;  the 
blood  of  a  mortal  still  flows  in  your  veins." 

I  then  observed  that  the  robes  worn  by  the  forms 
about  me  were  of  various  hues.  Few  were  red  and  as 
few  a  perfect  glistening  white.  Some  were  purple, 
others  blue,  and  a  few  golden,  but  the  many  were  of 
the  greyish-white  hue  of  mist. 

Not  explaining  the  meaning  of  these  colors  my  guide 
said:  "Behind  the  veil  you  will  see  the  forms  of 
those  two  through  whom  life  in  human  form  was  first 
introduced  upon  this  earth  and  from  whom  all  the 
race  have  the  life  that  is  in  them.  They  represent  on 
earth  the  eternal  life  and  the  twin  principles  of  life 
that  dwell  in  that  central  place  whence  radiates  all 
else  in  the  universe." 

Thus  saying  he  led  me  behind  the  veil  to  the  right, 
when  there  burst  upon  my  eyes  a  blaze  of  light  that 
seemed  to  fill  a  space  as  great  as  the  dome  of  the 


Il8  A    NIGHT    IN    A    CAVERN. 

whole  heavens.  Far  away  before  me  I  saw  two  central 
points  from  which  all  this  light  was  radiated.  The 
points  seemed  within  the  breasts  of  two  majestic  robed 
forms,  but  even  the  light  of  the  shapes  being  as  great 
as  the  blaze  of  the  noonday  sun,  I  could  distinguish  no 
more.  As  we  advanced  the  intensity  of  the  light 
seemed  to  so  grow  as  to  pervade  the  whole  atmos 
phere,  then  on  a  sudden  all  became  as  black  as  night. 

"  Either  all  is  utter  darkness,"  said  I  to  my  guide, 
"or  I  have  been  struck  with  blindness." 

11  Neither,"  said  he,  "  but  the  light  here  is  so  much 
greater  than  human  eyes  can  endure  that  it  has  the 
same  effect  as  total  darkness.  There  are  sounds  so 
great  that  the  human  ear  cannot  hear  them,  as  well  as 
sounds  too  faint  for  the  human  ear,  and  it  is  the  same 
for  the  eye  as  regards  light  and  darkness/' 

As  we  moved  on  there  arose  great  murmurings 
that  increased  till  they  resounded  like  the  roar  of 
a  mighty  waterfall,  when  there  would  be  a  deep  and 
sudden  silence.  Breezes  swept  to  and  fro  and  on  these 
were  borne  whisperings.  Cold  hands  touched  my  face 
and  at  times  I  heard  my  Indian  name  called  in 
tones  that  seemed  to  shake  the  earth,  rolling  and 
reverberating  like  peals  of  thunder.  At  each  such  call 
I  felt  my  hand  taken  and  placed  upon  some  living 
object.  The  first  of  these  I  recognized  as  a  turtle, 
the  next  was  a  wolf,  then  a  serpent,  and  other  creatures 
that  I  knew  to  be  totems  of  those  near  to  me  through 
my  adoption  by  the  Sky-Sifter.  At  each  such 
introduction  Ga-on-ye-was,  the  Indian  name  of  the 
Sky-Sifter,  would  be  called,  and  she  would  make 


A    NIGHT    IN    A    CAVERN.  IIQ 

some  response  in  a  language  I  did  not  understand. 
Others  also  spoke,  but  their  voices  seemed  far  away 
and  mingled  with  the  sound  of  rustling  leaves  or 
running  water.  Then  I  heard  pronounced  in  a  loud, 
clear  voice  quite  near  me  the  word  "  Light  !  " 

Instantly  all  was  light.  I  gazed  about  me  in  a 
bewildered  way,  for  I  saw  at  a  glance  that  I  was  not  in 
a  cavern,  but  a  forest,  and  the  light  about  me  was  that 
of  coming  day.  Beside  me  was  seated  my  uncle,  the 
Wolf-Man,  and  at  our  feet  was  the  little  rill  from  the 
spring  that  flowed  from  under  the  ledge  of  sandstone. 
I  was  in  the  lone  spot  to  which  I  was  sent  to  dream 
my  medicine  dream.  I  was  sure  of  this  when,  on  turn 
ing,  I  saw  the  great  oak  and  the  Indian  grave  near  its 
foot. 

The  Wolf-Man  said  :  "  My  child,  we  have 
wandered  far  beneath  the  earth  and  seen  many  mys 
teries." 

"  How  came  we  here?"  said  I.  The  Wolf-Man 
pointed  to  the  spring  and  said  :  "  You  see  the  door 
through  which  we  passed  out  but  now.  That  is  a 
mystery-fountain  which  becomes  but  air  to  those  who 
have  the  right  to  pass  through  it.  It  was  placed  there 
to  guard  the  door  that  leads  to  a  sacred  region  below. 
On  the  face  of  this  sandstone  ridge  you  see  the  totems 
of  many  who  have  passed  through  the  great  halls  below; 
all  were  great  medicine  men  in  their  day." 


120  THE    FUNERAL    OF    THE    SKY-SIFTER. 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE    FUNERAL    OF    THE    SKY-SIFTER. 

Commanding  me  to  follow  him,  the  Wolf-Man  led 
the  way  to  a  small  hut  hidden  on  a  little,  willow-covered 
island  in  the  midst  of  a  large  swamp.  Not  a  living 
thing  was  visible  in  or  about  the  hut,  which  was  a 
temporary  structure  of  bark  and  boughs,  but  within  it, 
suspended  from  its  roof,  we  found  a  small  Indian 
basket  filled  with  food. 

After  we  had  eaten,  my  uncle,  the  Wolf-Man, 
informed  me  that  we  must  attend  the  funeral  of  the 
supposed  Sky-Sifter,  which  was  to  take  place  about 
noon,  on  a  small  island  in  the  creek  at  the  mouth  of 
which  my  foster-mother  always  kept  her  medicine  canoe. 
I  knew  the  spot  well.  The  Sky-Sifter  had  taken  me  to 
it,  and  had  shown  me  on  it,  at  the  highest  part  of  the 
island,  a  small,  level  patch  of  ground,  around  which 
were  planted  certain  bushes  and  shrubs,  parts  of  which 
were  used  in  various  ceremonies.  She  told  me  that  one 
day  I  would  see  her  buried  there;  that  her  husband  had 
promised  to  make  her  grave  at  the  place  marked  out  for 
it.  The  island  had  an  area  of  only  about  an  acre,  and 
presented  much  the  appearance  of  an  artificial  mound. 
It  stood  only  a  short  distance  above  the  mouth  of  the 
creek,  and  on  either  side  arose  the  river  bluffs  to  the 
height  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  water, 
and  about  one  hundred  feet  above  the  top  of  the  island. 
These  bluffs  were  timber-crowned  to  within  a  few  feet 
of  their  faces,  which  descended  almost  perpendicularly 
to  the  creek.  It  was  a  picturesque  spot,  and  the  notch 


THE    FUNERAL    OF    THE    SKY-SIFTER.  121 

in  the  shore  line,  with  the  mound  in  its  centre,  was  a 
landmark  well  known  to  all  who  sailed  the  river,  and  by 
some  of  the  whites  was  called  the  "  Witch's  Cove."  , 

After  we  left  the  little  hut  in  the  swamp,  the  Wolf- 
Man  led  the  way  to  higher  ground,  and,  after  walking 
for  an  hour,  we  came  to  a  place  where  were  several  old 
bark  huts.  In  and  about  these  we  found  a  number 
of  Indians,  both  men  and  women.  Medicine  signs 
were  exchanged,  when  some  of  the  men  advanced  and 
gave  me  the  grips  I  had  been  taught.  I  soon  recognized 
several  who  had  been  present  at  my  medicine  feast  and 
initiation,  though  now  they  were  attired  in  the  ordinary 
dress  of  the  Indians  of  the  reservation. 

After  some  talk  we  were  led  by  these  men  to  a  hut 
that  stood  apart.  There  the  Wolf-Man  transformed 
himself  into  an  ordinary  Mohawk,  as  regards  dress,  and 
after  my  dress  had  been  somewhat  altered,  an  old  man 
painted  my  face  and  hands.  He  was  an  artist  in  his 
way,  for  when  he  had  completed  his  work  he  held 
before  me  a  small  round  mirrjr.  I  was  astonished.  I 
saw  before  me  a  young  Mohawk,  and  nothing  else — my 
face  was  strange  to  me  as  though  I  had  never  before 
seen  it. 

When  we  returned  to  the  other  huts,  the  people  there 
evidently  thought  me  much  improved  in  appearance. 
It  was  "  Wa  gwast !  Wa  gwast  1"  (good,  good)  on 
every  side. 

I  was  much  surprised  to  find  that  these  people, 
nearly  all  of  whom  were  quite  old,  had  with  them, 
made  up  in  bundles,  all  their  earthly  possessions.  The 
dress  of  the  Wolf-Man,  and  also  part  of  my  dress,  were 


122  THE    FUNERAL    OF    THE    SKY-SIFTER. 

rolled  up  to  be  carried  along  with  the  goods  of  the 
others.  My  uncle  then  gave  orders  for  all  to  be  carried 
to  a  place  on  the  river  not  far  from  the  little  island 
where  the  funeral  was  to  take  place. 

When  the  people  had  moved  off,  my  relative  and 
guide  made  me  a  signal  to  follow,  and  then  moved 
away  in  a  different  direction  from  that  taken  by  the 
Indians  with  the  bundles.  In  about  half  an  hour  we 
came  to  the  bluff  bank  of  the  river.  My  uncle  pro 
duced  a  sound  like  that  made  by  a  tree-frog,  and  an 
Indian  in  strange  paint  and  dress  soon  came  up  the 
bank.  Some  words  were  exchanged,  and  we  passed 
on  some  distance  when  the  same  signal  brought  another 
strange  Indian  up  from  some  hiding-place  at  the  brink 
of  the  river.  This  was  repeated  several  times,  the 
Indian  called  up  returning  after  receiving  some  instruc 
tions  in  a  language  of  which  I  could  not  understand  a 
word. 

At  last,  after  looking  at  the  sun,  the  Wolf-Man  turned 
to  me  and  said:  "Come,  my  child,  it  is  time." 

We  then  moved  directly  toward  the  place  where  the 
funeral  was  to  take  place  and  soon  came  in  sight  of  the 
mound-like  island.  We  found  it  thronged  with 
Indians,  with  some  still  arriving  and  crossing  on  a  tempo 
rary  bridge  that  had  been  laid  across  the  little  stream  to 
the  island.  We  crossed  with  others  without  attracting 
attention,  and  ascending  the  mound  mingled  with  the 
throng. 

A  score  or  two  of  white  men  were  in  attendance 
among  the  Indians,  and  half  as  many  white  women. 
These  stood  about  the  Sky-Sifter's  husband  and  his 


THE    FUNERAL    OF    THE    SKY-SIFTER.  123 

two  daughters.  A  white  minister  was  also  in  attend 
ance.  The  husband  seemed  quite  grief-stricken.  He 
had  always  been  very  proud  of  his  wife  and,  truly  lov 
ing  her,  had  allowed  her  to  have  her  own  way  in  all 
things.  Being  a  Scotchman,  and  a  firm  believer  in 
the  gift  of  second-sight,  he  found  no  fault  .with  his 
wife's  mysterious  comings,  goings,  and  ceremonies. 
The  daughters  were  calm  and  almost  as  imposing  in 
appearance  as  the  Sky-Sifter  herself.  Both  had  the 
same  long  hair  and  the  same  dark  and  piercing  eyes; 
indeed,  they  looked  like  a  pair  of  white  Sky-Sifters. 

The  funeral  rites  were  simple,  the  Indians  present 
participating  no  further  than  to  make  a  few  small 
offerings  at  the  grave.  The  white  minister  read  the 
burial  service  and  ventured  a  few  timid  remarks  that 
were  intended  for  the  benefit  of  the  Indians,  and 
which  contained  a  faint  hint  in  regard  to  the  danger 
of  meddling  with  forbidden  things  and  seeking  unholy 
knowledge. 

Not  a  medicine  man  went  near  the  grave,  though 
several  were  present.  They  would  take  another  time 
for  what  they  had  to  do.  All  the  Indians  who  partici 
pated  in  the  burning  of  the  wigwam  were,  no  doubt, 
present,  in  order  to  ward  off  suspicion,  for  all  could 
but  feel  that  a  day  of  reckoning  must  soon  come. 

The  ceremonies  at  the  grave  being  finished,  the 
people  were  about  turning  away  when  were  heard 
the  sounds  of  the  measured  strokes  of  a  drum.  As 
the  dull,  heavy  boom  rolled  through  the  air  all  eyes 
were  lifted  to  the  face  of  the  bluff.  There  on  the 
verge  of  the  acclivity  stood,  in  her  most  brilliant,  mystic 


124  THE    FUNERAL    OF    THE    SKY-SIFTER. 

dress,  the  towering  form  of  the  Sky-Sifter,  slowly  tap 
ping  her  gaily  decorated  medicine  drum.  Her  figure 
was  so  strongly  brought  out  by  the  dark  green  of  the 
foliage  behind  her  that  she  seemed  only  a  few  feet 
away,  and  was  really  distant  less  than  one  hundred 
yards. 

The  silence  of  death  fell  on  all  present.  Terror  the 
most  abject  was  visible  in  the  face  of  every  Indian 
present.  Could  they  have  blanched,  every  face  would 
have  been  white  as  marble.  All  seemed  bereft  of  their 
senses,  and,  like  wooden  images,  stood  with  open 
mouths  and  protruding  eyeballs.  Before  them,  more 
majestic  and  defiant  than  ever,  stood  the  being  whose 
charred  remains  they  supposed  they  had  just  seen  laid 
in  the  grave.  Glancing  at  the  faces  of  the  two  young 
women  known  as  the  daughters  of  the  Sky-Sifter,  I  saw 
their  lips  curled  in  a  triumphant  smile,  while  a  proud 
gleam  of  satisfaction  shot  from  their  eyes  upon  those 
they  knew  to  be  their  enemies.  Not  till  then  did  I 
suppose  that  they  had  been  given  a  hint  of  what  was  to 
occur.  They  doubtless  thought  they  saw  the  spirit  of 
their  mother  about  to  take  its  departure  to  the  land  of 
the  Great  Spirit.  In  the  husband's  face  was  joy  and 
faith. 

All  this  passed  as  in  a  moment,  then  came  answering 
drum  taps  from  the  opposite  bluff,  and,  turning  their 
eyes  in  that  direction,  all  saw  a  second  Sky-Sifter, 
towering  as  grandly  from  the  soles  of  her  feet  to  the 
topmost  feather  in  her  cap  as  stood  the  first.  As  the 
throng  turned  their  eyes  from  one  bluff  and  one  figure 
to  the  other,  the  drum  taps  increased  in  rapidity,  until 


THE    FUNERAL    OF    THE    SKY-SIFTER.  125 

the  separate  strokes  could  not  be  distinguished,  and  a 
heavy  roar  filled  all  the  space  between  the  bluffs,  and 
so  pervaded  the  atmosphere  that  the  leaves  on  the 
trees  quivered  and  the  very  breezes  were  stilled. 

At  this  startling  sight,  the  superstitious  Indians  lost 
all  control  of  their  wits.  They  were  dumb  with  terror 
at  the  appearance  of  the  first  Sky-Sifter,  but  when  a 
second  was  seen,  their  fright  was  so  great  as  to  arouse 
them  from  their  stupor  and  impel  them  to  seek  safety 
in  instant  flight.  Howling  as  though  already  in  the 
clutches  of  the  Evil  Spirit,  the  whole  mass  of  people 
surged,  rolled,  and  tumbled  down  the  mound.  They 
did  not  stop  to  look  for  the  little  bridge  that  had  been 
thrown  across  the  stream,  but  dashed  through  mud  and 
water  in  a  hundred  places,  then,  streaming  along  the 
margin  of  the  river,  they  rounded  the  bluff  and  disap 
peared.  White  men — preacher  and  all — fled  as  wildly, 
if  not  as  rapidly,  as  did  the  Indians,  for  from  the 
moment  the  stampede  began  there  were  heard  from 
the  forests  on  the  bluffs,  and  from  the  woods  on  all 
sides,  a  thousand  strange,  shrill  warwhoops,  of  a  kind 
never  before  sounded  in  that  Eastern  region. 

In  the  commotion  of  the  confused  flight  of  the  mul 
titude,  the  two  Sky-Sifters  had  disappeared,  no  one 
knew  where  or  how.  The  wild  warwhoops  ceased, 
and,  looking  about  me,  I  found  the  husband  of  the 
Sky-Sifter,  his  daughters,  myself,  and  the  "one  who 
never  dies,"  sole  occupants  of  the  summit  of  the 
mound.  The  husband  had  in  his  face  a  wild  look  of 
joy.  "She  was  the  truest,  noblest  woman  that  ever 
lived!  "  cried  he.  "  Let  no  man  say  her  medicine  was 


126  THE    FUNERAL    OF    THE    SKY-SIFTER. 

not  good — let  no  man  say  it  was  too  strong!"  and 
turning  toward  myself  and  "  uncle,"  he  glared  upon  us 
like  a  tiger. 

His  daughters  ran  to  his  side  and  took  his  hands. 
He  burst  into  tears  and  fell  upon  his  knees  beside  the 
newly  filled  grave.  His  daughters  knelt  on  either  side 
of  him. 

I  felt  a  touch  on  the  shoulder,  and  turning  toward  my 
red  uncle,  whose  existence  I  had  for  the  moment 
forgotten,  he  signed  to  me  to  come  away,  and  together 
we  hastily  descended  the  hill,  crossed  the  brook,  and 
plunged  into  the  nearest  fringe  of  woods. 

"  A  good  man,  a  good  man  is  my  brother-in-law — 
my  brother-in-law  by  proxy!  "  said  my  uncle  by  adop 
tion,  speaking  as  though  to  himself.  As  I  did  not 
disagree  with  him  I  allowed  my  silence  to  speak  my 
assent. 

As  we  advanced  among  the  trees,  my  companion 
uttered  a  low,  clucking  sound,  and  at  various  points 
several  medicine  men  and  other  friends  appeared, 
received  instructions  and  retired — I  should,  perhaps, 
say  vanished,  as  some  of  them  seemed  to  walk  straight 
into  the  trunks  of  trees,  within  three  paces  of  us,  and 
fade  from  sight,  while  others  dropped  down  to  the 
ground  and  apparently  became  a  part  of  it.  On  the 
other  hand,  as  the  clucking  was  repeated,  old  chunks 
of  rogs  got  up,  stood  on  end  and  became  men,  then 
fell  over  after  a  word  or  two  and  were  again  logs. 

I  found  by  this  that  though  our  people  had  fled  with 
the  throng,  it  was  with  an  object,  and  that  they  had 
turned  aside  before  going  far.  We  also  met  not  a  few 


THE    FUNERAL    OF    THE    SKY-SIFTER.  12} 

strange  Indians,  as  I  knew  by  their  dress  and  paint. 
My  uncle  was  not  communicative,  and  I  dared  not 
venture  to  ask  questions,  nevertheless  I  began  to  be 
consumed  with  curiosity  as  to  the  meaning  of  so  much 
masquerading  in  the  woods;  I  was  anxious  to  know 
what  it  was  all  to  lead  up  to,  and  about  how  much 
longer  I  would  be  required  to  participate  in  it.  My 
plan,  before  it  begun,  had  been  to  get  out  of  that 
section  and  get  upon  the  lakes,  as  soon  as  possible,  as  a 
sailor. 

After  traveling  for  an  hour  or  two  in  a  circuitous 
direction,  we  came  to  a  temporary  camp,  the  huts  in 
which  were  constructed  of  green  boughs.  Here  were 
encamped  the  people  of  the  huts  at  which  we  had 
changed  our  style  of  dress.  We  found  our  bundles  and 
resumed  our  usual  dress,  my  uncle  again  appearing 
as  the  "medicine  wolf."  I  was  glad  to  again  find 
myself  in  possession  of  my  rifle,  for,  boy-like,  I  had 
feared  that  some  Indian  would  run  away  with  it. 

These  people,  or  at  least  the  majority  of  them,  had 
been  at  the  funeral,  and  one  of  them  brought  me  a 
book  which  he  said  he  had  picked  up  at  the  foot  of  the 
island  mound.  Upon  lookmg  at  it  I  found  it  was  the 
one  from  which  the  minister  had  read  the  burial  service. 
The  Indians  wondered  much  that  the  "  white  doctor" 
had  thrown  away  his  "  medicine."  They. thought  that 
act  would  end  his  career,  as  he  could  not  dream  again 
to  get  new  "  medicine." 

As  all  the  people  of  this  camp  had  been  through  the 
"  medicine  lodge,"  I  found  that  they  knew  as  much  as 
I  did  about  the  real  nature  of  the  scene  we  had  wit- 


128  THE    FUNE-RAL    OF    THE    SKY-SIFTER. 

nessed  at  the  funeral,  and  some  of  them  probably  knew 
more  than  I,  having  taken  much  higher  degrees.  I  really 
knew  no  more  than  the  squaws  who  were  permitted  to 
participate  in  the  open-air  rites.  Though  they  knew 
that  the  Sky-Sifters  were  twin-sisters  who  had  in  some 
way  obtained  all  the  secrets  of  even  the  highest  degrees, 
I  was  told  by  the  "one  who  never  dies,"  that  they 
knew  nothing  of  the  real  nature  of  the  great  sibyl  whose 
soul  inhabited  two  bodies,  and  he  cautioned  me  against 
saying  anything  about  that,  or  about  the-old  woman  of 
the  lone  hut.  To  these  Indians,  where  the  charred 
body  came  from  that  was  found  in  the  ruins  of  the  wig 
wam,  was  still  a  mystery.  I  found  that  they  supposed 
that  she  merely  made  it  appear  that  there  was  a  body  ; 
they  said  it  was  nothing,  and  that,  in  case  the  grave  were 
opened,  it  would  be  found  empty. 


CHAPTER    XXVII.      , 

AN    EXODUS    OF     MEDICINE    PEOPLE. 

My  uncle  presently  left  me,  telling  me  that  business 
required  his  presence  elsewhere,  and  requesting  me  to 
remain  with  the  people  of  the  camp  till  they  received 
the  signal  to  move,  when  I  was  to  accompany  them. 
The  sun  was  low  in  the  west  when  the  Wolf- Man 
glided  out  of  the  camp. 

I  could  make  nothing  of  all  these  mysterious  move 
ments.  What  we  were  next  to  do  troubled  me  not  a 


THE    FUNERAL    OF    THE    SKY-SIFTER.  12$ 

little.  By  listening  to  the  people,  and  talking  with 
them  as  though  I  knew  all  about  the  business,  I  found 
that  such  of  them  as  had  possessed  land  had  disposed 
of  it,  and  that  they  were  about  to  bid  farewell  to  the 
reservation  and  to  Canada.  •  They  said  the  Indians  of 
the  reservation  no  longer  followed  the  ways  of  the 
ancient  and  true  religions,  and  that  the  Great  Spirit 
desired  all  true  believers  to  separate  themselves  from 
the  apostates.  Where  they  were  going  I  could  not 
learn  from  them,  as  all  they  could  or  would  tell  me  on 
that  head  was  that  they  were  about  to  leave  for  the 
"land  of  the  gitche  Manitou." 

A  little  after  sundown  the  forest  seemed  to  become 
alive  with  all  manner  of  beasts  and  birds.  They  were 
calling  and  answering  on  all  sides.  I  knew,  from  past 
experience,  that  a  movement  of  some  kind  was  on  foot 
among  the  Indians.  At  last  was  heard  the  distant 
howl  of  a  wolf.  One  of  our  party  imitated  the  bark  of 
an  Indian  dog  in  reply,  and  instantly  all  took  up  their 
bundles. 

In  Indian  file,  we  began  our  march  toward  the  river, 
distant  less  than  half  a  mile,  an  old  chief  and  medicine 
man  leading  the  way. 

Upon  arriving  at  the  edge  of  the  river  we  found, 
drawn  up  along  the  shore,  a  line  of  about  a  dozen  large 
canoes.  With  them  were  as  many  Indians,  all  Mohawks 
and  relatives  and  friends  of  those,  of  my  party.  We 
embarked  at  once  and  paddled  down  the  river.  There 
seemed  an  unusual  commotion  among  the  water-fowl. 
I  wondered  at  this  until  I  heard  the  loud  quacking  of 
a  duck  from  one  of  our  canoes. 


130  THE    FUNERAL    OF    THE    SKY-SIFTER. 

I  was  not  surprised  when  I  saw,  by  the  dim  light  of 
the  stars,  the  leading  canoe  turn  and  head  directly  for 
the  Witch's  Cove — the  mouth  of  the  creek  at  which  my 
foster-mother  kept  her  medicine  canoe.  I  knew  that 
the  Sky-Sifters  were  abroad.  Though  I  had  not  seen 
them  after  their  appearance  on  the  bluffs,  I  was  sure 
that  they  were  at  no  great  distance  from  that  point,  and 
in  constant  communication  with  the  people. 

At  the  cove  we  found  over  fifty  canoes,  most  of  them 
cf  great  size.  On  the  shore  were  a  great  number  of 
people.  They  seemed  to  be  talking  in  many  languages, 
and  I  found  that  many  were  armed  with  rifles.  This 
seemed  strange  to  me,  as,  among  the  Mohawks,  I  had 
not  seen  a  gun  of  any  kind.  I  began  to  fear  that  there 
was  to  be  a  massacre  of  the  Indians  who  had  partici 
pated  in  the  burning  of  the  wigwam. 

My  uncle,  the  Wolf-Man,  was  present  and  in  com 
mand  of  the  whole  fleet,  as  I  could  see  by  all  taking 
orders  from  him.  I  asked  him  whence  came  so  many 
canoes,  and  he  told  me  that  many  of  them  had  been 
lying  concealed  at  various  points  along^  the  river  for 
several  days,  while  others  had  that  evening  been  brought 
down  the  stream  by  their  owners. 

"This  is  a  night,"  said  he,  "  that  will  long  be 
remembered  on  this  river." 

Again  I  began  to  fear  bloodshed  and  wished  myself 
safely  out  of  the  country.  I  wanted  to  get  to  Buffalo, 
or  some  other  large  town  across  the  lake,  where  I 
could  ship  aboard  some  vessel.  I  feared  I  was  to  be 
carried  away  as  a  sort  of  prisoner,  and  made  to  follow 
the  business  of  a  medicine  man — a  business  to  which 


THE  FUNERAL  OF  THE  SKY-SIFTER.       131 

I    had   already  been  apprenticed   in    spite  of  myself. 

At  last  there  was  a  great  hum  of  voices  and  a 
moment  after  the  two  Sky-Sifters  made  their  appear 
ance,  both  still  in  full  medicine  dress.  All  the  people 
were  ordered  to  embark.  One  of  the  Sky-Sifters  took 
me  aboard  the  medicine  canoe  in  which  I  had  once 
sailed  out  into  the  lake. 

I  asked:   "  Is  this  Ga-on-ye-was  ?  " 

The  answer  was:  "  We  are  both  Ga-on-ye-was-uh — 
both  sifters  of  the  sky." 

"  Am  I  to  go  to  the  gitche  Manitou  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  No,  child,  it  is  not  in  your  heart,"  was  the  answer. 

An  order  was  next  given  to  "  light  up."  As  all  our 
previous  movements  had  been  so  secret  this  surprised 
me.  I  soon  saw,  however,  that  the  lights  to  be  used 
were  skull  lanterns.  These  were  principally  masks  in 
imitation  of  skulls.  After  such  a  light  had  been  placed 
at  the  bow  of  each  canoe,  all  the  craft  were  placed  in 
line  and  we  started  up  the  river  in  Indian  file.  Most 
of  the  houses  of  the  Indian  settlers  were  on  the  banks 
of  the  river. 

The  Wolf-Man  took  the  lead  in  a  medicine  canoe 
that  was  the  counterpart  of  the  one  in  which  I  was 
seated,  and  with  him  was  a  Sky-Sifter  and  an  old 
medicine  man  as  a  paddler.  The  paddler  was  seated 
but  the  others  stood  erect.  I  was  given  a  paddle  and 
was  seated,  but  the  Sky-Sifter  with  me  stood  up  in  the 
bow  of  the  canoe.  The  Wolf-Man,  the  two  sibyls, 
and  most  of  the  medicine  men  had  drums.  All  begun 
beating  these  as  the  line  of  canoes  started,  and  at  the 
first  taps,  to  my  great  surprise,  I  saw  both  of  the  Sky- 


132  THE    FUNERAL    OF    THE    SKY-SIFTER. 

Sifters  and  the  "one  who  never  dies"  become 
brilliantly  illuminated,  from  head  to  foot,  as  though 
covered  with  liquid  phosphorus  or  some  such  prepara 
tion.  We  took  a  course  near  the  right  bank  of  the 
river,  and  as  we  passed  up  the  great  noise  of  the  drums 
brought  the  Indian  families  from  their  dwellings  to  the 
bank  of  the  stream,  but  no  sooner  did  they  catch  sight 
of  the  Sky-Sifters  and  the  long  line  of  skull  lanterns 
than  they  fled,  uttering  the  wildest  howls  of  terror. 

When  the  procession  had  moved  up  the  river  about 
three  miles  it  turned  and  passed  down  near  the  oppo 
site  shore,  creating  everywhere  the  utmost  consternation. 
When  we  were  again  opposite  the  Witch's  Cove  the  line 
of  canoes  took  to  the  middle  of  the  river  and  moved 
slowly  down  toward  the  lake.  While  thus  proceeding 
we  encountered,  at  different  times,  several  canoes  con 
taining  belated  Indian  fishermen  coming  in  from  the 
lake. 

The  terror  exhibited  by  these  men  was  quite  ludi 
crous.  On  coming  in  sight  of  the  portentous  procession 
they  wheeled  and  paddled  wildly  for  the  shore,  where, 
hauling  up  their  canoes,  they  plunged  howling  into  the 
heart  of  the  forest.  Our  ghostly  flotilla  completely 
cleared  the  river  of  all  incoming  craft,  whether  manned 
by  Indians  or  white  men. 

On  reaching  the  mouth  of  the  river  all  our  canoes 
were  hauled  up  on  a  stretch  of  sandy  beach  about  one 
hundred  yards  from  the  lake,  where  we  encamped  to 
wait  for  daylight  before  going  out  upon  the  lake. 
The  skull  lanterns  were  now  placed  on  the  sterns  of  the 
canoes  in  such  a  way  as  to  face  the  river,  and  were  there 


THE    F.UNERAL    OF    THE    SKY-SIFTER.  133 

allowed  to  burn  out;  before  they  did  so,  however,  they 
gave  a  great  fright  to  several  Indian  canoemen. 

This  old  religion,  observed  by  the  old  people  among 
the  Mohawks,  was  the  religion  not  only  of  that  tribe 
but  also  of  the  Senecas,  Oneidas,  Cayugas,  and  all  the 
tribes  of  the  Six  Nations.  It  was,  indeed,  the  religion 
of  all  the  Indians  of  North  America,  there  being  only 
variations  of  forms  of  worship,  and  some  difference  in 
the  ceremonies  among  tribes  widely  separated.  On' 
this  point  Catlin  (who  spent  forty-two  years  of  his 
life  among  the  Indians  and  who  visited  every  leading 
tribe  in  America)  is  very  explicit.  He  says  :  ''All 
the  Indian  tribes,  as  I  have  observed  before,  are 
religious — are  worshipful — and  many  of  them  go  to 
almost  incredible  lengths  in  worshiping  the  Great 
Spirit,  denying  and  humbling  themselves  before  Him 
for  the  same  purpose  and  in  the  same  hope  as  we  do — • 
perhaps  in  a  more  rational  and  acceptable  way." 

As  regards  the  old  religious  belief  of  the  Mohawks 
and  other  tribes  of  the  Six  Nations,  they  have  been 
well  set  forth  by  Red  Jacket,  the  famous  Seneca  chief 
and  orator.  In  the  summer  of  1805,  the  principal 
chiefs  of  the  Six  Nations  assembled  at  Buffalo  Creek, 
New  York,  at  the  particular  request  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Crane,  a  missionary  from  the  State  of  Massachusetts. 
Mr.  Crane  made  a  long  speech  begging  the  Indians  to 
permit  missionaries  to  settle  among  them.  The  Indians 
consulted  for  about  two  hours  after  Mr.  Crane  had 
finished  his  address  asking  them  to  allow  the  Boston 
Society  to  settle  white  preachers  among  them.  They 
finally  selected  Red  Jacket  to  make  a  reply  for  them. 


134  THE    FUNERAL    OF    THE    SKY-SIFTER. 

After  an  eloquent  opening  Red  Jacket  gave  the  follow 
ing  statement  of  the  religious  views  of  the  Six  Nations. 
He  said  :  "  We  also  have  a  religion  which  was  given 
to  our  forefathers,  and  has  been  handed  down  to  us, 
their  children.  We  worship  in  that  way.  It  teaches 
us  to  be  thankful  for  all  the  favors  we  receive;  to  love 
each  other,  and  to  be  united.  We  never  quarrel 
about  religion. 

•  '-'The  Great  Spirit  has  made  us  all,  but  he  has  made 
a  difference  between  his  white  and  his  red  children. 
He  has  given  us  different  complexions  and  different 
customs.  To  you  he  has  given  the  arts.  To  these  he 
has  not  opened  our  eyes.  We  know  these  things  to  be 
true;  since  he  has  made  so  great  a  difference  between 
us  in  other  things,  why  may  we  not  conclude  that  he 
has  given  us  a  different  religion,  according  to  our 
understanding?  The  Great  Spirit  does  right;  He 
knows  what  is  best  for  His  children;  we  are  satisfied. 

f(  We  are  told  that  you  have  been  preaching  to  the 
white  people  in  this  place.  These  people  are  our 
neighbors;  we  are  acquainted  with  them;  ;we  will  wait 
a  little  while,  and  see  what  effect  your  preaching  has 
upon  them.  If  we  find  it  does  them  good,  makes  them 
honest  and  less  disposed  to  cheat  Indians,  we  will  then 
consider  again  of  what  you  have  said. 

"  Brother,  you  have  now  heard  our  answer  to  your 
talk,  and  this  is  all  we  have  to  say  at  present.  As  we 
are  going  to  part,  we  will  come  and  take  you  by  the 
hand,  and  hope  the  Great  Spirit  will  protect  you  on 
your  journey,  and  return  you  safe  to  your  friends." 

As  the  Indians  began   to  approach  the  missionary  to 


THE    FUNERAL    OF    THE    SKY-SIFTER.  135 

shake  hands,  he  arose  hastily  from  his  seat,  crying  out 
that  he  could  not  take  them  by  the  hand,  that  there 
was  no  fellowship  between  the  religion  of  God  and  the 
works  of  the  devil." 

The  Indians  smiled  and  retired  in  a  peaceful  man 
ner.  It  is  not  a  difficult  matter  to  decide  which  of  the 
parties  showed  more  need  of  true  religion. 

At  a  council  afterwards,  in  answer  to  another  prop 
osition  to  establish  a  mission  among  his  people,  Re<f 
Jacket  said:  "  Your  talk  is  fair  and  good;  but  I  pro 
pose  this  :  Go,  try  your  hand  in  the  town  of  Buffalo 
for  one  year;  they  need  missionaries,  if  you  can  do 
what  you  say.  If  in  that  time  you  shall  have  done 
them  any  good,  and  made  them  any  better,  then  we 
will  let  you  come  among  our  people." 

On  another  occasion,  in  speaking  of  the  preachers 
who  were  trying  to  obtain  a  footing  on  the  reservation,, 
Red  Jacket  said:  "  These  men  know  we  do  not  under 
stand  their  religion;  we  cannot  read  their  book.  They 
tell  us  different  stories  about  what  it  contains,  and  we 
believe  they  make  the  book  talk  to  suit  themselves.  If 
we  had  no  money,  no  land,  and  no  country  to  be 
cheated  out  of,  these  black  coats  would  not  trouble 
themselves  about  our  good  hereafter.  The  Great 
Spirit  will  not  punish  us  for  what  we  do  not  know.  He 
will  do  justice  to  His  red  children.  These  black  coats 
talk  to  the  Great  Spirit  and  ask  for  light,  that  we  may 
see  as  they  do,  when  they  are  blind  themselves,  and 
quarrel  about  the  light  which  guides  them.  These 
things  we  do  not  understand;  and  the  light  they  give 


136  THE    FUNERAL    OF    THE    SKY-SIFTER. 

us  makes  the  straight  and  plain  path  trod  by  our 
fathers  dark  and  dreary." 

To  show  that  tribes  west  of  the  Mississippi  River 
held  the  same  views,  I  will  quote  a  few  sentences  from 
the  reply  of  an  loway  war  chief  called  Neu-mon-ya  (the 
Walking  Rain)  to  a  preacher  in  London,  who  was 
anxious  to  send  missionaries  to  the  loway  tribe,  and 
who  had  harangued  a  party  of  loway  chiefs  and  braves 
visiting  the  English  metropolis  to  that  effect.  The 
chief,  Walking  Rain,  among  a  great  many  other  things 
equally  to  the  point,  said:  "  My  friends,  you  have  told 
ns  that  the  Son  of  the  Great  Spirit  was  on  earth,  and 
that  He  was  killed  by  white  men,  and  that  the  Great 
Spirit  sent  Him  here  to  get  killed.  Now,  we  cannot 
understand  all  this.  This  may  be  necessary  for  white 
people,  but  the  red  men,  we  think,  have  not  yet  got  to 
be  so  wicked  as  to  require  that.  If  it  was  necessary 
that  the  Son  of  the  Great  Spirit  should  be  killed  for 
white  people,  it  may  be  necessary  for  them  to  believe 
all  this;  but  for  us,  we  cannot  understand  it. 

"  My  friends,  you  speak  of  the  Good  Book  that  you 
have  in  your  hand;  we  have  many  of  these  in  our 
village;  we  are  told  that  all  your  words  about  the  Son 
of  the  Great  Spirit  are  printed  in  that  book,  and  if  we 
learn  to  read  it,  it  will  make  good  people  of  us.  I 
would  now  ask  why  it  don't  make  good  people  of  the 
pale-faces  living  all  around  us  ?  They  can  all  read 
the  Good  Book,  and  they  can  understand  all  the  black 
coats  say,  and  still  we  find  they  are  not  so  honest  and 
so  good  a  people  as  ours.  This  we  are  sure  of.  Such 
is  the  case  in  the  country  about  us,  but  here  we  have 


THE    FUNERAL    OF    THE    SKY-SIFTER.  137 

no  doubt  but  the  white  people  who  have  so  many  to 
preach  and  so  many  books  to  read  are  all  honest  and 
good.  In  our  country  the  white  people  have  two  faces 
and  their  tongues  branch  in  different  ways.  We  know 
that  this  displeases  the  Great  Spirit,  and  we  do  not  wish 
to  teach  it"  to  our  children." 

Here  the  preacher  asked  the  chief  if  he  thought  they 
did  all  they  ought  to  do  to  serve  the  Great  Spirit  ? 

Walking  Rain  said  in  reply:  "My  friends,  I  don't 
know  that  we  do  all  that  the  Great  Spirit  wishes  us  to 
do;  there  are  some  Indians,  I  know,  who  do  not; 
there  are  some  bad  Indians  as  well  as  bad  white  men; 
I  think  it  is  very  difficult  to  tell  how  much  the  Great 
Spirit  wishes  us  to  do.  We  believe  the  Great  Spirit 
requires  us  to  pray  to  Him,  which  we  do,  and  to  thank 
Him  for  everything  we  have  that  is  good.  We  know  that 
He  requires  us  to  speak  the  truth,  to  feed  the  poor,  and  to 
love  our  friends.  We  don't  know  of  anything  more 
that  He  demands.  He  may  demand  more  from  white 
people,  but  we  don't  know  that." 

Afterwards  these  loway  Indians  went  to  Edinburgh. 
There  two  preachers  came  to  talk  with  them,  propos 
ing  to  send  them  missionaries  to  teach  and  Christianize 
them.  Again  Walking  Rain  replied.  He  said:  "Now, 
my  friends,  I  will  tell  you  that  when  we  first  came  over 
to  this  country  we  thought  that  where  you  had  so  many 
preachers,  and  so  many  to  read  and  explain  the  Good 
Book,  we  should  find  the  white  people  all  good  and 
sober  people;  but,  as  we  travel  about,  we  find  that  this 
was  all  a  mistake.  When  we  first  came  over,  we  thought 
that  the  white  man's  religion  would  make  all  people 


138  THE    FUNERAL    OF    THE    SKY-SIFTER. 

good,  and  we  then  would  have  been  glad  to  talk  with 
you,  but  we  cannot  say  that  we  like  t«  do  it  any  more." 

Being  urged  to  talk,  the  Chief  proceeded  as  follows: 
"  My  friends,  I  am  willing  to  talk  with  you  if  it  can  do 
any  good  to  the  hundreds  and  thousands  of  poor  and 
hungry  people  that  we  see  in  your  streets  every  day 
when  we  ride  out.  We  see  hundreds  of  little  children 
with  their  naked  feet  in  the  snow,  and  we  pity  them, 
for  we  know  they  are  hungry,  and  we  give  them  money 
every  time  we  pass  by  them.  In  four  days  we  have 
given  twenty  dollars  to  hungry  children;  we  give  our 
money  to  children  only.  We  are  told  that  the  fathers 
of  these  children  are  in  the  houses  where  they  sell  fire 
water,  and  are  drunk,  and  in  their  words  they  every 
moment  abuse  and  insult  the  Great  Spirit.  You  talk 
about  sending  black  coats  among  the  Indians;  now, 
we  have  no  such  poor  children  among  us;  we  have  no 
such  drunkards,  or  people  who  abuse  the  Great  Spirit. 
Indians  dare  not  do  so.  They  pray  to  the  Great  Spirit, 
and  he  is  kind  to  them.  Now,  we  think  it  would  be 
better  for  your  teachers  all  to  stay  at  home,  and  go  to 
work  right  here  in  your  own  streets,  where  all  your  good 
work  is  wanted.  This  is  my  advice.  I  would  rather 
not  say  any  more." 

The  foregoing  will  give  a  fair  idea  of  what  the 
old  Indian  religion  was.  Now,  in  many  tribes,  they 
have  been  brought  to  embrace,  after  a  fashion,  what  the 
whites  tell  them  is  the  true  and  a  much  better  kind  of 
religion. 


THE    TALISMAN.  139 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

INDIANS    OF    THE    GREAT    LAKES THE    TALISMAN. 

Fires  were  lighted  on  the  beach,  after  the  lanterns 
had  gone  out,  and  food  was  then  cooked  for  all  who 
wished  to  eat.  About  the  fires  I  saw  a  great  number 
of  strange  Indians,  all  of  whom  were  armed  to  the 
teeth.  Being  seated  near  one  of  the  Sky-Sifters,  I 
asked  who  they  were,  for  I  again  feared  being  carried 
away. 

"  These,"  said  she,  "are  all  my  friends.  They  are 
warriors  from  several  tribes  who  live  near  and  beyond 
the  great  lakes.  They  are  Chippewas,  Ottowas, 
Sioux,  Mandans,  Winnebogas,  Arapahas,  and  some 
others;  all  braves  and  many  chiefs  and  medicine  men. 
you  once  saw  some  of  these  same  men  in  canoes  on  a 
lake  and  saw  me  standing  on  the  shore  of  the  Sacred 
Isle — the  isle  of  the  Manitou.  On  that  island  is  still 
seen  the  big  stone  wigwam  in  which  lived  the  gitche 
Manitou  when  on  this  earth — when  he  formed  the 
Great  Lakes  and  all  that  is  in  and  about  them.  The 
Manitou  is  not  the  Great  Spirit,  but  he  is  very  great." 

"  Why  did  all  these  great  braves  come  here  ?  "  I 
asked. 

"  They  came  to  conduct  me  and  the  true  believers, 
whose  hearts  have  always  been  with  me,  to  the  land  of 
the  Manitou.  Did  I  not  tell  you  the  night  before  last 
that  I — that  we — were  well  guarded  ?  We  told  you 
that  had  we  sounded  our  whistle  all  the  Mohawks 
would  have  been  dead  men.  It  was  true,  for  the  rifles 
of  these  men  were  leveled  on  every  Mohawk  present. 


140  THE    TALISMAN. 

Fortunately  my  medicine  was  strong  and  all  terminated 
as  had  been  written  in  the  stars,  shown  by  the  mirror 
of  the  waters,  and  whispered  by  the  winds." 

"  Do  1  go  out  on  the  lake  with  the  canoes  in  the 
morning  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Yes,  child,"  said  she  kindly,  "  you  sail  till  noon 
in  my  canoe,  then  will  come  the  vessel  of  a  white  man, 
and  we  part.  I  once  had  thought  to  settle  you  in 
the  country  we  are  now  leaving  before  going  to  dwell 
with  the  still  true  ones  down  by  the  setting  sun,  but 
your  heart  was  not  in  it,  and  since  my  brother,  the 
"one  who  never  dies,"  and  whose  medicine  is  as  that 
of  the  Manitou,  has  shown  me  your  course,  though  not 
all  your  fortune,  for  that  depends  upon  the  will  of  the 
Great  Spirit  and  the  intercession  of  the  great  ones  to 
whom  you  have  been  told  to  look  in  time  of  need." 

While  we  were  thus  conversing  a  medicine  fire  had 
been  lighted  and  a  circle  of  medicine  men  formed  to 
petition  the  Great  Spirit  for  fair  breezes  in  going  back 
to  the  lake.  As  greatest  of  the  wise  men,  the  brother 
of  the  Sky-Sifters  officiated  as  master  oj  ceremonies. 
At  certain  points  we  all  arose  and  joined  this  circle 
for  a  few  moments,  and  again  all  joined  at  its  con 
clusion. 

When  it  was  ended  the  Sky-Sifter  produced  a  small 
object  in  which  shone  all  the  colors  of  the  rainbow, 
and  from  which  seemed  to  dart  red,  green,  and  blue 
fires.  It  was  carved  in  the  form  of  a  turtle.  My 
foster-mother  said  that  in  it  were  contained  fire,  water, 
air,  and  all  the  elements,  and  that  it  was  the  best  gift 
any  mortal  could  possess;  that  with  it  always  about  me 


THE    TALISMAN.  141 

and  a  good  heart  toward  my  fellow  men  and  the  Great 
Spirit,  I  would  always  be  fortunate,  as  it  was  the 
greatest  talisman  to  be  found  in  all  the  land  of  the 
Manitou. 

When  this  image  was  thus  produced  the  eyes  of  all 
present  turned  wistfully  upon  it.  It  was  first  handed 
to  the  Wolf-Man,  who  took  the  medicine  pipe  and 
blessed  it,  blowing  smoke  upward  and  to  the  four 
quarters  of  the  earth.  All  the  others  took  it  and  pressed 
it  to  their  eyes  and  then  to  their  foreheads.  When  it  had 
thus  gone  round,  it  was  returned  to  the  Sky-Sifter,  who  , 
caused  me  to  open  my  vest,  take  out  my  medicine  bag  and 
open  it.  The  little  glittering  image  was  then  wrapped 
in  some  folds  of  buckskin  and  deposited  with  my  turtle 
totem  in  the  medicine  bag. 

All  the  strange  Indians  then,  one  after  another,  came 
forward  and  gave  me  a  new  medicine  grip,  that  of  the 
gitche  Manitou,  and  greeted  me  as  the  "  keeper  of  the 
great  turtle  talisman." 

The  Sky-Sifter  then  told  me  that  the  talisman  was 
given  her  by  a  son  of  the  Inti  (the  sun)  at  a  time 
when  she  was  known  to  the  Peruvians  as  Mama  Ocllo 
and  her  brother  was  called  Manco  Capac.  She  further 
told  me  that  she  had  been  with  her  brother  on  the 
occasion  of  his  visit,  in  ancient  times,  to  the  Issedones, 
the  Arimaspi,  the  Gryphins,  and  the  Hyperboreans  at 
a  time  when  he  was  known  to  men  as  Aristeas.  She 
also  told  me  that  her  brother  was  at  Antwerp  and 
Brussels  at  various  times  from  the  thirteenth  century 
to  about  1774,  where  he  was  known  as  John  Buttadaens; 
afterwards  he  went  to  Venice  and  there  lived  under  the 


142  THE    TALISMAN. 

name  of  Signor  Gualdi  for  a  time,  also  was  known 
there  under  the  name  of  Salathiel  ben  Sadi.  She 
mentioned  so  many  other  names  that  her  brother  had 
borne  and  so  many  places  in  which  he  had  lived  in 
Asia,  Africa,  and  the  islands  of  the  South  Pacific  Ocean, 
that  I  at  last  ventured  to  ask  if  he  was  not  sometimes 
known  as  the  "  Wandering  Jew." 

"  No,"  said  she;  "  that  infamous  and  ever-wretched 
creature  is,  in  age,  a  mere  infant  compared  with  my 
brother,  the  '  one  who  never  dies;'  in  knowledge  he  is 
also  an  infant,  and  as  a  traveler  he  has  been  nowhere." 


CHAPTER    XXIX. 

THE  CANOE  FLEET  ON  THE  LAKE. 

This  conversation  was  cut  short  by  a  commotion 
among  the  people,  who  pointed  toward  the  east  where 
the  red  streaks  of  dawn  began  to  appear.  Orders  were 
given  to  cook  a  certain  amount  of  provisions  to  be 
taken  aboard  the  canoes,  and  also  for  the  use  of  all 
who  wished  to  breakfast  before  going  into  the  canoes. 

After  breakfast  we  prepared  to  go  out  upon  the  lake. 
Four  canoes  were  firmly  lashed  together;  two  side  by 
side,  another  forward  between  the  ends  of  these,  and 
the  fourth  aft  with  its  bow  between  the  sterns  of  the 
middle  canoes.  Spars  held  all  these  in  position,  and, 
thus  united,  the  four  canoes  possessed  sufficient  stability 


THE    TALISMAN.  143 

to  permit  of  a  tall  mast  and  a  large  square  sail  being 
hoisted. 

All  the  large  canoes  were  thus  arranged,  but  about  a 
dozen  of  the  smaller  ones  were  taken  in  tow,  though 
the  two  medicine  canoes  dashed  forward  independently, 
taking  the  lead  of  the  fleet.  I  was  taken  into  one  of 
these  with  one  of  the  Sky- Sifters,  whila  in  the  other 
sailed  the  Wolf-Man  (now  in  the  dress  of  a  head  chief), 
and  "the  other  half"  of  my  companion. 

The  breeze  was  such  as  had  been  prayed  for,  and 
all  the  omens  seen  in  sky  and  water  were  favorable.  I 
found  that  it  was  the  plan  of  the  Indians  to  keep  within 
a  few  miles  of  shore,  landing  and  camping  of  nights, 
except  when  they  had  to  pass  a  town  or  settlement 
where  they  did  not  wish  to  be  seen  by  the  whites. 

The  little  medicine  canoes  danced  over  the  waves 
like  egg  shells.  Though  the  sails  they  carried  were  not 
large,  they  easily  kept  the  lead  of  the  fleet.  Once, 
when  a  little  squall  was  seen  approaching,  the  Sky-Sif 
ter  took  a  large  fish  from  beneath  a  mat  and  suspended 
it  at  the  bow  of  the  canoe.  As  the  water  about  the 
little  craft  at  once  became  calm,  this  was  to  me  a 
great  mystery  at  the  time,  but  now  I  know  that  what 
was  put  over  the  bow  was  merely  the  skin  of  a  fish  filled 
with  oil.  When  the  wind  began  to  die  out,  and  a 
calm  was  threatened,  the  sibyl  took  up  a  string  and 
untied  a  knot. 

Toward  noon  my  foster-mother  told  me  she  could  see 
the  vessel  coming  which  was  to  take  me  to  Buffalo. 
Though  I  could  see  nothing,  I  believed  what  she  said. 
An  hour  after,  the  topsails  of  a  vessel  appeared  at  the 


144  A    MYSTIFIED    CAPTAIN. 

edge  of  the  horizon.  The  hull  of  the  craft  presently 
appeared,  as  she  was  on  a  tack  that  brought  her  toward 
us. 

As  I  had  gone  through  ail  the  parting  ceremonies 
with  my  Indian  friends  before  leaving  the  shore,  we 
had  now  only  to  sail  up  to  the  approaching  schooner 
when  she  drew  near.  I  was  taken  aboard  as  a  person 
who  was  expected. 

At  parting  my  foster-mother  manifested  no  emotion. 
About  her  last  words  to  me  were  to  guard  my  talisman, 
and  to  show  it  should  I  ever  be  in  trouble  with  the  red 
men  of  any  western  tribe,  "for,"  said  she,  "your 
course  lies  toward  the  setting  sun."  On  reaching  the 
deck  of  the  little  schooner  I  turned  and  waved  my  hat 
to  those  passing  on  the  fleet  of  canoes.  In  return,  they 
made  signs  which  were  equivalent  to  commending  me 
to  the  protection  of  the  Great  Spirit.  As  for  the  Sky- 
Sifters,  and  my  uncle  in  the  spirit,  or  by  proxy,  they 
made  me  the  sign  of  the  Manitou,  in  addition  to  the 
other. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

ABOARD    A    SCHOONER — A    MYSTIFIED    CAPTAIN. 

When  I  had  ceased  to  strain  my  eyes  in  gazing  after 
my  Indian  friends,  with  whom  my  heart  went  in  spite 
of  all  late  resolves  to  become  a  sailor,  I  saw  that  I  was 
an  object  of  curiosity  to  ail  on  board  the  vessel.  I 
could  see  that  the  sailors  were  dying  to  get  hold  of  me 


A    MYSTIFIED    CAPTAIN.  145 

and  question  me  in  regard  to  my  being  found  in  such 
strange  company. 

The  Captain — Captain  Walker — gazed  at  me  as 
though  I  had  been  the  ghost  of  his  father.  He  asked 
me  to  go  into  the  cabin  with  him.  After  he  had  closed 
and  locked  the  cabin  door  he  threw  himself  upon  a 
lounge  and  motioned  me  to  a  chair  near  him. 

"  Who  was  that  woman  ?  "  said  he. 

"The  woman  who  brought  me  to  the  schooner  in 
the  canoe  ?  "  said  I. 

"  Yes.     Who  is  she  ?  "  cried  he. 

I  said  :  *'  She  is  a  great  medicine  woman  and,  I 
believe,  the  daughter  of  some  very  powerful  chief." 

"Is  she  human  ?"  cried  the  Captain.  "  Can  you 
tell  me  that  ?  " 

At  this  abrupt  question  I  was  a  good  deal  startled 
and,  glancing  back  to  what  I  had  lately  seen  and  heard 
of  my  foster-mother,  I  hesitated. 

"  Is  she  human  ?  "  cried  the  Captain  almost  fiercely. 
"  Is  the  woman  a  human  being  ?  That  is  what  I  want 
to  know, "and  the  Captain  mopped  his  forehead  with  a 
big  silk  handkerchief. 

"I — I  believe  she  is — that  is  to  a  certain  extent," 
stammered  I. 

"  To  a  certain  extent!  "  cried  the  Captain,  "  that  is 
a  strange  answer." 

"  It  is  the  best  I  can  give,"  said  I.  "  She  is  a  very 
wise  woman — her  medicine  is  very  strong." 

"  Strong!     I  should  say  so." 

I  stared  at  the  man  in  astonishment  for  a  moment, 
then  said:  "  I  do  not  understand  you,  sir." 


14  A    MYSTIFIED    CAPTAIN. 

Without  paying  any  attention  the  Captain  said: 
"  Do  you  know  that  I  saw  that  woman  last  night  ?  " 

I  said:   "  No,  sir." 

"She  was  here  last  night — here  in  this  very  cabin. 
She  told  me  what  tack  I  would  be  on  about  noon  and 
told  me  to  stand  on  that  tack  till  she  came  to  me  in 
her  canoe  and  put  her  son  aboard  my  schooner.  Was 
that  woman  your  mother?  No,  you  are  white.  What 
did  she  mean  ?  You  are  not  her  son  ?  " 

Again  I  was  taken  aback  and  stammered:  "No — 
well,  yes — that  is,  to  some  extent." 

"  To  some  extent  ?  Are  you  crazy  ?  What  do  you 
mean  by  saying  you  are  her  son  to  some  extent  ?  " 

"  Well,  sir,  I  mean,"  said  I,  "that  I  am  her  foster- 
son." 

"  Oh,  ah!  Her  foster-son,"  said  the  captain;  "  that 
may  be.  Excuse  me,  I  thought  you  were  making 
game  of  me,  and  this  is  no  joking  business.  Why,  sir, 
I  saw  that  woman  last  night — and  the  like  of  her  I 
never  saw  before — saw  her  as  distinctly  as  I  now  see 
you.  Saw  her  three  times.  The  first-  time  here  in 
this  cabin  when  she  gave  me  my  sailing  directions,  so 
to  speak.  The  other  times  I  saw  her  when  I  was  on 
deck.  Yes,  sir,  when  I  was  on  deck.  I  had  come  up 
out  of  the  cabin  because  I  did  not  like  to  remain 
there  after  what  had  occurred.  I  was  leaning  over  the 
weather-side  wondering  whether  I  had  not,  after  all, 
only  dreamt  of  seeing  the  woman,  when  she  arose  out 
of  the  water  within  a  yard  of  me  and  said:  'Do  not 
forget/  My  hair  stood  on  end." 

"  And  again  you  saw  her  ?  "  said  I. 


A    MYSTIFIED    CAPTAIN.  147 

' 'Yes,  again.  Two  hours  later  she  looked  over  the 
bow  at  me  and  said:  '  Remember! '  " 

"And  you  did  remember,"  said  I. 

"Yes;  I  slept  no  more.  I  did  nothing  else  but 
remember  until  I  had  you  safe  aboard.  Why,  sir,  I 
would  have  stood  on  that  tack  until  I  had  run  five  miles 
up  into  the  country  had  I  not  found  you  before.  My 
first  mate  thought  I  had  lost  my  senses,  I  stood  so  long 
on  that  tack.  But  I  must  say  that  the  ghost  of  your 
mother — your  mother,  herself — whichever  it  was — did 
not  deceive  me.  I  kept  looking  at  my  watch,  and  just 
before  noon  T  sighted  you." 

The  Captain  asked  me  a  thousand  questions  about 
the  strange  being  he  had  seen,  declaring  that  she  was 
not  common  flesh  and  blood.  Said  he:  "I  saw  her 
just  as  distinctly  last  night  as  to-day,  and  to-day,  when 
she  spoke,  I  recognized  her  voice  in  a  moment." 

Captain  Walker  said — when  I  told  him  my  penniless 
situation:  "  Don't  speak  of  it,  sir.  You  are  a  passen 
ger — a  cabin  passenger.  If  you  had  a  bushel  of  money 
I  wouldn't  touch  a  cent.  I  would  as  soon  charge  the 
devil's  grandson.  Excuse  me,  I  only  mean  that  after 
what  has  happened,  you  have  only  to  ask  for  what  you 
want — even  the  schooner  herself,  if  you  promise  not  to 
sink  her  till  I  get  ashore." 

The  Captain  then  made  me  promise  to  say  nothing 
of  what  had  passed  between  us  to  anyone  on  board,  as 
he  had  not  told  them  of  the  nocturnal  visits  of  my  fos-* 
ter-mother.  So  the  men  were  merely  told  that  some 
Indians,  who  were  going  up  the  lake  from  the  Canada 


148  A    MYSTIFIED    CAPTAIN. 

side,  had  brought  me  out  to  catch  some  craft  that  was 
sailing  down  toward  Buffalo. 

As  we  sailed  down  the  lake  the  Captain  lost  no 
opportunity  of  getting  me  into  the  cabin  with  him  for 
a  talk.  He  was  shrewd  enough  to  see,  whatever  I  told 
him,  that  there  was  always  yet  a  great  deal  back  of 
what  I  communicated.  Then,  as  I  had  never  once 
thought  of  what  I  ought  to  speak  of,  and  what  keep  to 
myself,  I  was  constantly  saying  things  that  added  oil  to 
the  iire  of  his  curiosity.  Thus,  when  he  asked  me  the 
name  of  my  foster-mother,  I  at  once  said:  "  Ga-on-ye- 
was,  she  that  sifts  the  skies." 

"Then  she  must  understand  astrology.  Does  she 
study  the  stars  ?  " 

"O,  yes,  they  both  do,  almost  every  night." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  both  ?  " 

"  Why,  there  are  two  of  her,"  said  I.  "I  forgot  to 
say  that  there  are  two  that  are  the  same."  Then  I 
was  obliged  to  go  into  a  long,  and  not  very  satisfactory, 
explanation.  Thus  it  went  on,  and  by  the  time  we 
arrived  at  Buffalo,  Captain  Walker  had  heard  so  much 
of  the  "one  who  never  dies,"  and  of  the  two  sisters 
with  but  a  single  soul,  that  he  did  not  want  me  to  leave 
his  vessel.  I  had  sense  enough  to  keep  back  my  initi 
ation  into  the  order  of  "  mystery-men,"  and  most  of 
the  strange  scenes  I  had  witnessed,  yet  I  had  told  him 
enough  to  cause  him  to  believe  that  could  he  keep  me 
\vith  him,  good  fortune  would  always  attend  both  him 
self  and  the  "Nancy,"  his  little  schooner. 


I    PLAY    MEDICINE    MAN.  149 

CHAPTER    XXXI. 

I    PLAY    MEDICINE    MAN    AND    RAISE    A    WIND. 

A  circumstance  that  occurred  on  the  down  trip 
probably  also  had  great  influence  with  the  Captain  in 
my  favor.  There  fell  a  calm  that  looked  very  discour 
aging.  The  old  hands  aboard  the  vessel,  men  who 
had  been  many  years  on  the  lake,  predicted  that  the 
calm  would  continue  until  about  daylight  the  next 
morning,  and  it  was  then  about  one  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon.  Captain  Walker  agreed  with  the  old  "tar," 
who  thus  spoke  his  mind  and  that  of  his  mates.  The 
men  did  not  even  think  it  worth  while  to  try  to  "  whis 
tle  up  a  breeze  ;  "  they  declared  that  the  sky  and  all 
else  was  against  a  breeze  coming  before  the  next  morn 
ing.  Observing  that  the  Captain  seemed  much  vexed 
at  the  delay  that  threatened,  I  went  to  his  side  when 
he  was  alone,  and  told  him  that  if  he  would  let  me 
have  the  cabin  to  myself  for  a  time,  I  would  try  to 
bring  him  a  breeze,  as  I  had  knowledge  of  things  that 
might,  for  all  I  knew,  be  useful  in  such  an  emergency. 

Captain  Walker  had  not  sailed  the  lakes  for  years 
with  old  shell-backs  from  every  sea  without  absorbing 
many  of  their  notions  and  superstitions.  "Good,  my 
lad,"  cried  he,  his  face  brightening;  "  take~possession 
of  the  cabin,  lock  yourself  in,  and  remain  as  long  as 
you  wish.  If  you  bring  me  a  breeze  you  shall  dance  a 
jig  with  the  prettiest  girl  in  Buffalo  when  we  make 
port." 

I  simply  said:   "  I'll  try,  sir." 

The  Captain  handed  me  the  key  of  the  cabin,  and 


152  I    PLAY    MEDICINE    MAN. 

"  Well,  lad,  what  about  the  breeze  we  want,"  said 
Captain  Walker. 

"  You  shall  have  it  at  once,  Captain,"  said  I,  "  and 
shall  choose  it  for  yourself.  Face  the  quarter  from 
which  you  wish  it  to  come." 

The  Captain  faced  the  northwest. 

"Now,"  said  I,  handing  him  the  magic  string, 
"  think  what  kind  of  a  breeze  you  want,  and,  when  I 
give  you  the  word,  untie  one  of  the  knots  in  that 
string." 

At  this  an  old  tar  grunted  and  clapped  his  hand  over 
his  mouth  to  hide  a  grin.  I  at  once  called  him  out 
from  among  his  mates.  Said  I  :  "  You,  sir,  will  oblige 
me  by  slowly  counting  three." 

The  old  fellow  looked  sheepish,  but  came  forward 
when  the  Captain  beckoned  him  to  do  so.  "Now 
count,"  said  I. 

"One,"  said  the  old  fellow. 

"  Unj  !"  cried  I,  in  a  voice  so  loud  and  fierce  as  to 
cause  the  old  salt  to  start  and  change  color. 

"Count!  "  cried  I,  seeing  that  he  hesitated. 

"  Two,"  faltered  he. 

"Nekty!"  shouted  I. 

"Three,"  mumbled  he. 

"  Nu-suh!  "  roared  I.     "  Captain,  untie  the  knot." 

The  Captain  untied  one  of  the  knots. 

"That  is  all,"  said  I. 

"  And  that  will  bring  a  breeze  ?  "asked  the  Captain, 
returning  the  string,  which  still  contained  many  knots. 

"  Just  the  kind  of  breeze  you  wished  for,"  said  I,  as 
bold  as  old  ^Eolus.  "  Look!  "  and  I  pointed  to  the 


I    PLAY    MEDICINE    MAN.  153 

northwest,  where  a  great  black  ripple  was  seen  on  the 
water. 

"Blast  my  eyes!"  cried  an  old  salt,  "  'ere  she 
comes!" 

The  old  fellow  who  had  counted  in  English  while  I 
counted  in  Tuscarora,  turned  white  as  a  sheet.  Evi 
dently  he  felt  that  he  was  himself  developing  fearful 
supernatural  powers. 

Captain  Walker  looked  little  less  concerned  ;  never 
theless,  he  at  once  gave  the  orders  necessary  to  taking 
full  advantage  of  the  breeze,  which  was  one  so  lively 
that  it  made  the  little  schooner  dance. 

The  breeze  held  as  fine  and  fair  as  we  could  wish 
till  we  were  snug  in  port  at  Buffalo,  when  it  went  out 
as  suddenly  as  a  puff  of  breath  that  blows  out  a  candle. 
This  was  instantly  observed  by  all  the  sailors,  as  the 
calm  left  vessels  standing  stock-still  in  all  directions 
and  positions.  I  could  see  not  a  few  queer  glances 
directed  toward  me,  as  the  men  collected  in  knots. 
They  began  to  think  the  Indian  woman  had  brought 
the  devil  aboard  the  schooner.  I  could  see  that  the 
old  fellow  who  had  counted  for  me  was  looking  wise, 
and,  by  the  cock  of  his  head,  he  showed  that  already 
he  was  taking  to  himself  no  little  credit  for  what  had 
happened.  That  evening,  before  leaving  the  vessel  to 
go  up  into  the  city,  he  took  me  aside  :  "  I've  got," 
said  he,  "  six  months'  pay  laid  by,  and  it's  all  yours, 
lad,  if  you'll  show  me  how  to  tie  them  knots  and  larn 
me  them  awful  words  what  you  said." 

I  asked  him  if  he  thought  he  had  an  immortal   soul. 


150  I    PLAY    MEDICINE    MAN. 

entering  it  I  locked  the  door  behind  me.  I  knew  of 
no  special  charm  for  bringing  up  a  breeze.  What  I 
intended  doing  was  merely  to  produce  and  set  up  my 
medicine  bag,  totems,  and  talismans,  then  ask  the  aid 
of  the  Great  Spirit  through  the  demi-gods  and  heroes 
whose  totems  were  inscribed  on  my  medicine  wand. 
I  would  then  tie  several  knots  in  a  buckskin  string  and 
trust  to  the  spirits  of  the  air  for  a  wind. 

On  taking  off  my  coat  and  vest,  the  better  to  come  at 
the  medicine  bag  and  other  things  of  the  kind  secreted 
about  my  person,  to  my  great  surprise  a  knotted  buck 
skin  string,  such  as  I  had  intended  making,  fell  at  my 
feet.  It  seemed  to  drop  from  the  ceiling.  On  looking 
at  it  I  concluded  it  must  be  the  same  that  I  had  seen 
in  the  canoe  of  the  Sky-Sifter,  but  how  it  came  into 
my  possession  I  could  not  imagine,  unless  my  foster- 
mother  had  forseen  this  very  use  for  it  and  had  adroitly 
slipped  it  inside  of  my  vest.  With  this  magic  string  in 
my  hands  I  felt  as  powerful  as  the  Sky-Sifter  herself, 
or  even  as  strong  as  my  uncle,  the  "one  who  never 
dies." 

However,  I  concluded  that  I  must  myself  do  some 
thing  to  deepen  the  mystery  and  add  to  my  importance. 
Among  the  little  traps  given  me  at  various  times  was  a 
small,  round  mirror,  paints  for  the  face,  and  several 
small  stencils  made  of  fawn-skin  parchment.  With 
these  I  painted  on  my  forehead  the  image  of  a  black 
wolf,  and  upon  each  cheek  my  special  totem,  the  turtle, 
in  vermilion. 

Thus  decorated,  I  secured  my  mystic  apparatus 
beneath  my  clothing,  and,  assuming  a  grave  air,  returned 


I    PLAY    MEDICINE    MAN.  151 

to  the  deck,  determined  to  be  as  bold  and  positive  as 
though  I  held  all  the  winds  of  the  heavens  in  the  hol 
low  of  my  hand. 

The  men  were  at  first  astonished  at  my  appearance, 
for,  in  addition  to  my  paint,  I  had  slipped  upon  my 
head  a  light  buckskin  fillet  that  contained  a  number  of 
tall  eagle  feathers.  Next,  the  "  old  salts  "  began  grin 
ning,  and  seemed  to  be  preparing  to  give  me  a  taste  of 
their  wit,  but  the  Captain  gave  them  a  frown  and  cried: 
"  Avast  that!  The  lad  has  promised  to  give  us  a  wind. 
He  knows  a  few  things  that  will  beat  all  the  whistling 
you  ever  did  in  all  your  lives." 

I  looked  as  serious  as  though  going  to  the  funeral  of 
my  grandfather. 

"He  has  been  among  the  Indians  and  learned  the 
secrets  of  their  big  medicine  men/'  continued  the  Cap 
tain,  "and,  in  fact,  is  a  young  medicineman  himself. 
We  do  not  want  to  be  here  all  day  and  all  night.  Give 
the  lad  a  chance." 

At  this  the  old  tars,  who  had  been  holding  their 
huge  paws  before  their  faces  to  conceal  their  grins, 
sobered  down.  But  they — true  to  their  nature — would 
not  give  up  without  making  manifest,  in  some  way, 
their  own  particular  notions  in  regard  to  the  matter; 
therefore,  they,  as  a  parting  shot,  scanned  the  sky  and 
the  water,  and  shook  their  heads  in  a  way  not  to  be 
misunderstood. 

But  their  curiosity  was  aroused,  and  they  were  suffi 
ciently  tinged  with  superstition  to  wish  to  learn  what 
ever  new  charm  there  might  be  for  conjuring  up  a 
breeze. 


154  i  "ADOPT"  A  RICH  AUNT. 

He  said  he  believed  he  had.  "  Then,"  cried  I 
fiercely,  "  keep  it  !  " 

I  afterward  found  out  that  he  told  some  of  the  men 
he  could  "  bring  up  a  breeze  as  well  as  the  best  of 
'em,"  if  he  "  was  a  mind  to  sell  his  soul  to  the  devil." 

Captain  Walker — probably  in  view  of  his  vision  of 
the  Sky-Sifter — did  not  in  the  least  doubt  the  magic 
power  of  the  string.  He  asked  me  not  to  part  with  it 
without  first  consulting  him,  and  insisted  on  my  mak 
ing  my  home  aboard  his  schooner  until  I  could  find 
the  house  of  my  mother's  old  friend,  whose  name  I 
remembered.  I  remained  only  one  night  with  the  Cap 
tain,  for  the  next  day  after  our  arrival  in  Buffalo  I 
found  the  house  of  my  mother's  old  friend,  though 
since  my  first  visit  she  had  changed  her  place  of  resi 
dence,  a  great  rise  of  property  having  tempted  her  to 
sell  and  buy  a  new  place  in  the  eastern  suburbs, 
where  I  found  her  very  comfortably  situated. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

I    «'  ADOPT"    A    RICH    AUNT    AND    PRINCELY    AIRS. 

I  was  well  received  by  the  friend  (and  distant  rela 
tive)  of  my  mother.  She  was  now  old  and  gray-haired. 
She  was  a  widow  at  the  time  of  my  first  visit  and  had 
not  married  again.  Her  new  place  contained  several 
acres  and  was  becoming  so  valuable  that  she  was  con 
templating  another  removal  to  the  extreme  front  of  the 


j  "ADOPT"  A  RICH  AUNT.  155 

suburbs.  I  found  that  she  was  the  wealthy  woman  of 
the  neighborhood.  She  had  her  gardener  and  several 
servants,  male  and  female. 

Mrs.  Bardsley — so  was  this  widow  called — remem 
bered  my  visit  with  my  mother  and  was  good  enough  to 
say  that  she  looked  upon  me  as  a  relative.  I  found 
that  she  was  almost  alone  in  the  world  as  regarded 
kinfolk.  She  said  she  believed  there  were  still  alive 
in  England  persons  of  her  blood,  but  for  many  years 
she  had  heard  nothing  of  any  of  them.  I  was  given  a 
snug  room  in  her  house  and  treated  like  a  young  lord. 
She  was  greatly  interested  in  my  adventures,  some  of 
which  I  related  to  her,  being  careful  not  to  say  much 
of  the  supernatural  powers  of  my  Indian  friends  at 
first,  but  she  wormed  more  and  more  of  this  out  of  me 
as  our  acquaintance  grew  and  our  friendship  increased. 
Even  on  the  second  day,  when  I  told  her  that  I  wished 
to  pay  a  visit  to  my  friend  Captain  Walker  before  he 
sailed  up  the  lake,  she  seemed  unwilling  to  see  me 
leave  the  house.  She  exacted  from  me  a  promise  that 
I  would  not  go  up  the  lake  with  the  Captain,  how 
ever  strongly  he  might  insist  upon  my  making  a  trip. 
"In  time,"  said  she,  i*  if  you  still  wish  to  sail  the 
lakes,  you  may  have  a  schooner  of  your  own — who 
knows  ?  "  concluded  she,  with  a  smile  that  seemed  to 
say  that  when  the  time  came  there  would  be  a  schooner 
ready  for  me. 

Captain  Walker  was  very  glad  to  see  me.  He  said 
he  had  found  out  Mrs.  Bardsley's  place  of  residence, 
and  had  I  not  put  in  an  appearance  he  would  have 
been  out  after  me.  He  then  asked  how  I  had  been 


156  i  "ADOPT"  A  RICH  AUNT. 

received.  '.'  Like  a  prince,"  said  I.  "  I  hear  that  she 
is  awful  rich,"  said  the  Captain. 

"I  believe  she  is,"  said  I. 

"  Anyway  related  to  you?  "  asked  the  Captain. 

"  Well,  yes,  sir,"  said  I,  with  a  sort  of  careless  smile; 
*'  I  suppose  I  ought  to  call  her  aunt,  but  up  on  Grand 
River,  Canada,  where  I  have  lived  all  my  life,  no  soul 
except  my  mother  is  related  to  me,  and  not  being  used 
to  relations  I  am  apt  to  forget  about  the  handles  that 
go  with  their  names,  such  as  aunt,  uncle,  cousin,  and 
so  on." 

"  Your  Aunt  Bardsley  is  awful  rich,"  repeated  the 
Captain.  "I  had  intended  to  offer  you  good  terms — 
big  terms — to  go  with  me  on  the  "  Nancy,"  for  I  like 
you.  However,  I  will  not  advise  you  against  your 
bread  and  butter,  my  lad — stick  to  your  aunt,  young 
fellow — stick  to  her,  lad,"  and  the  kind-hearted  Captain 
gave  me  a  hearty  slap  on  the  shoulder. 

I  soon  discovered  that  a  thing  very  near  the  good 
Captain's  heart  was  the  "  magic  string."  He  began 
to  talk  about  calms  and  baffling  winds  on  the  lake,  how 
delays  devoured  profits,  and  the  like.  I  saw  the  drift 
of  this  and  said:  "Captain,  you  have  been  like  a 
brother  to  me;  you  shall  take  with  you  what  will  cause 
your  "  Nancy  "  to  beat  every  craft  on  the  lake." 

Captain  Walker  grasped  my  hand.  "  Bless  you, 
lad,"  cried  he,  "  let  me  take  it.  You  will  not  need  it 
—  you  must  raise  no  breezes  in  the  house  of  your  rich 
aunt,  you  know." 

I  then  took  the  Captain  into  the  cabin,  where  I  gave 
him  instructions  in  regard  to  the  use  of  the  magic 


i  "ADOPT"  A  RICH  AUNT.  157 

string.  I  told  him  that  the  string  being  now  made 
there  was  no  use  for  either  paint  or  feathers,  but  the 
magic  words  I  had  used  were  all-important.  I  wrote 
them  down  and  taught  him  their  proper  pronunciation. 
I  told  him  he  must  make  the  same  old  tar  who  had 
counted  for  me  count  for  him,  leaving  it  to  his  first 
mate  to  untie  the  knot.  The  drill  being  over,  I  shoul 
dered  my  rifle,  which  I  had  left  on  the  schooner,  and 
took  my  departure. 

Mrs.  Bardsley  was  glad  to  see  me  come  back.  She 
was  also  glad  to  see  my  rifle.  She  said  it  was  good  to 
know  that  there  was  a  gun  in  the  house,  and  some  one 
who  knew  how  to  use  it.  This  gave  me  an  idea  of 
great  iron-hooped  chests  of  gold  somewhere  about  the 
house,  and  I  ventured  to  call  the  old  lady  aunt  Alice. 
She  was  leaving  the  room  at  the  moment.  Quickly 
turning,  she  gazed  at  me  as  though  astonished;  then 
her  face  lighted  up;  and,  coming  back  to  me,  she  said: 
"  My  child,  let  it  be  so.  Ever  hereafter  call  me  aunt 
Alice,"  and  the  good  old  lady  kissed  me  on  the  fore 
head  and  left  the  room. 

"Ah,  my  totem,  my  talisman!"  cried  I,  when  she 
was  gone.  "  Not  three  days  in  Buffalo,  and  already  I 
have  found,  and  am  under  the  wing  of,  a  rich  aunt. 
My  medicine  is  strong!"  This  caused  me  to  remem 
ber  that  I  had  been  neglectful  of  my  religious  duties 
for  a  time;  I  then  had  no  other  religion  than  that  in 
regard  to  which  the  reader  has  been  informed — I  was  a 
worshiper  of  the  Great  Spirit. 

My  room  was  on  the  second  floor  of  my  aunt's  ele 
gant  mansion.  It  was  large,  and  handsomely  furnished. 


•53 

The  room  was  in  the  northwest  corner  of  the  house. 
One  window  gave  me  a  view  of  the  rising,  and  two  a  view 
of  the  setting,  sun.  That  this  was  so  gave  me  much 
gi eater  pleasure  than  I  found  in  all  the  fine  furniture. 
There  were  religious  reasons  why  I  should  thus  be  able 
to  see  both  the  rising  and  the  setting  of  the  sun. 

Throwing  open  the  windows  on  the  west,  I  saw 
that  the  sun,  in  an  Indian-summer  haze,  was  nearing 
the  horizon.  I  locked  and  bolted  my  door,  then,  pro 
ducing  my  medicine  bag,  totem,  talisman,  and  the  other 
things  used  in  my  worship,  I  arranged  them,  and,  telling 
over  the  totems  inscribed  on  my  medicine  wand,  recited 
to  and  through  the  Good  Ancients'  prayers  for  the 
continued  favor  and  protection  of  the  Great  Spirit. 

I  had  never  much  more  than  glanced  at  the  rainbow- 
hued  turtle  totem  which  was  the  parting  gift  of  the  Sky- 
Sifter.  At  the  conclusion  of  my  devotions,  when  I 
was  about  putting  it  away,  it  gleamed  so  gloriously  in 
the  light  of  the  setting  sun  that  I  paused  and  examined 
it  more  carefully.  I  had  never  before  seen  anything 
like  it,  except  where  the  sunlight  had  fallen  upon  clear 
ice  that  had  been  shivered  by  a  heavy  blow.  In  such 
material  was  carved  the  turtle,  rising  from  an  oval  of 
the  same.  I  now  observed,  for  the  first  timer  that  a 
rim  of  metal,  apparently  pure  gold,  surrounded  the 
oval.  Turning  it  over,  I  discovered  that  the  back  was 
an  oval  mirror  of  the  most  perfect  depth  and  clearness, 
though  it  seemed  to  be  made  of  some  kind  of  metal — 
certainly  was  not  glass. 


THE    HILL    OF    DEATH.  159 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

I  DISCOVER  THE  MAGIC  OF  THE  TALISMAN". 

I  was  delighted.  "Oh,  my  good  and  kind  foster- 
mother — Oh,  Ga-on-ye-was,  what  a  gift!"  cried  I. 
"  Oh,  my  good  Ga-on-ye-was,  Sifter  of  the  Skies, 
where  are  you  now?"  and  tears  coursed  down  my 
cheeks. 

I  was  holding  the  mirror  before  me  and  gazing  into 
its  wonderful  depth.  The  instant  I  spoke  1  saw  the 
summit  of  a  mound  circled  about  with  skulls,  both 
human  and  buffalo,  and  in  the  centre  of  the  mound 
stood  the  Sky-Sifter,  tall  and  grand,  in  the  light  of  the 
setting  sun. 

"  Butte  de  Mort— the  Hill  of  Death!  "  cried  I.  The 
Sky-Sifter  was  facing  the  setting  sun;  a  medicine  fire 
burned  at  her  feet,  and  in  her  hand  she  held  and  waved 
her  medicine  wand,  now  toward  the  setting  orb  that 
seemed  a  globe  of  red  fire,  and  again,  aloft,  toward  the 
heavens. 

"Where  is  the  other?"  thought  I.  At  once  I  saw 
on  the  top  of  a  high  hill,  near  a  clump  of  bushes,  the 
same  figure  in  the  same  attitude  of  prayer.  "  Nid  du 
Tonnerre — The  Thunder's  Nest!  "  said  I.  My  heart 
was  filled  with  great  happiness.  I  thanked  the  Great 
Spirit  that  all  was  well  with  them. 

I  then  thought  of  the  "one  who  never  dies" — the 
Wolf-Man — and,  at  once,  I  saw  him  surrounded  by  a 
circle  of  Indians  seated  in  a  medicine  lodge.  He  was 
standing  near  a  fire,  in  the  centre  of  the  lodge,  con 
ducting  the  mysteries. 


160  THE    HILL    OF    DEATH- 

I  next  thought  of  my  mother.  Before  me  stood  the 
cabin  in  which  I  was  born,  and,  as  I  looked,  my  mother 
came  to  the  door,  placed  a  hand  above  her  eyes,  and 
gazed  toward  the  sun,  but  half  of  whose  ruddy 
face  was  now  visible.  Then  she  turned  and  looked 
down  the  highroad,  and  it  seemed  to  me  I  could  hear 
her  sigh — "Ah,  me,  where  is  my  boy  ?  " 

"Mother!"  cried  I.  She  started,  looked  behind 
her,  and  then  went  and  peered  around  the  corners  of 
the  cabin.  I  could  see  no  more  for  the  time  being,  as 
tears  dimmed  my  eyes. 

Burnishing  the  face  of  the  mirror,  as  though  that  had 
been  in  fault,  I  looked  again,  but  it  happened  that 
Mrs.  Bardsley — the  woman  I,  without  good  reason,  had 
called  my  aunt — came  into  my  thoughts.  Instantly  I 
saw  her  in  a  room  in  the  lower  part  of  the  house.  She 
was  standing  before  a  little  red  dress  and  some  other 
articles  of  a  child's  clothing  which  she  had  spread  out 
on  a  bed  before  her.  Near  her  stood  the  tall,  misty 
figure  of  a  young  girl,  dressed  in  flowing  robes  of  white 
material.  This  figure  came  and  went  in^a  pulsing  way, 
being  at  times  very  distinct,  and  again,  seeming  to 
almost  fade  away.  "It  is  the  face  of  the  little  girl  I 
saw  when  I  was  here  with  my  mother,"  said  I. 

1  thought  of  Captain  Walker,  and  at  once  I  saw  him. 
He  was  not  on  board  the  "  Nancy,"  but  was  seated  in  a 
room  in  a  cottage  where  children  were  playing  about, 
and,  in  the  dim  light  of  a  single  candle,  held  up 
and  closely  scrutinized  a  bit  of  string  in  which  were 
tied  several  knots.  I  laughed,  and  said:  "A  good 
breeze  in  every  knot,  Captain!"  So  he  seemed  to 


THE    HILL    OF    DEATH.  l6l 

think,  for  he  smiled  as  he  folded  up  the  ."  magic  string," 
and  carefully  placed  it  in  a  large  pocket-book. 

How  long  I  would  have  continued  to  gaze  into  the 
magic  mirror  I  know  not,  had  not  a  servant  knocked 
at  my  door  to  call  me  to  dinner.  Seated  in  the  fine 
dining-room  in  my  rough  backwoods  dress,  1  felt  much 
out  of  place,  bin  my  new-found  aunt,  or,  rather,  the 
old  lady  I  had  adopted  as  aunt,  seemed  not  to  notice 
the  coarseness  of  my  clothing.  She  appeared  to  be  only 
interested  in  my  history,  and,  as  with  Captain  Walker, 
in  seeking  to  avoid  giving  direct  answers  to  her  ques 
tions,  I  stumbled  into  things  that  greatly  excited  her 
curiosity.  In  this  way  she  found  out  something  of  the 
life  of  my  foster-mother,  and  of  her  departure  to  the 
country  about,  and  beyond,  the  Great  Lakes, 'though  I 
merely  said  she  went  away  because  of  the  persecutions 
of  bad  men  who  thought  her  "medicine  too  strong." 
Here,  again,  I  found  I  had  said  too  much,  for  the  good 
old  lady  at  once  began  probing  me  as  to  the  nature  of 
what  I  called  "medicine."  I  said  it  was  mostly  worship  of 
the  Great  Spirit.  Then  she  asked  how  that  could  harm 
any  one.  In  effect,  I  told  her  that  there  were  persons 
who  thought  she  was  too  much  favored  by  the  Great 
Spirit,  also  by  various  supernatural  beings  and  powers, 
and  had  too  much  knowledge  of  all  that  was  passing  in 
the  world,  and  even  among  themselves,  therefore,  they 
were  not  only  jealous  of  her,  but  also  feared  and  hated 
her. 

"And  what  do  you  think  of  her  and  her  medicine?" 
she  asked. 


l62  THE    HILL    OF    DEATH. 

"  She  is  good,"  said  I,   "and  all  she  does  is  good," 
and  so  it  went  on,  all  the  evening. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

FINE    FEATHERS    MAKE    FINE    BIRDS. 

The  next  day  a  tailor  called  and  took  my  measure, 
and  soon  I  was  the  best  and  most  fashionably  dressed 
young  man  in  Buffalo.  I  had  a  fine  gold  watch  and 
chain,  and  then  I  was  taken  out  in  the  carriage,  a  pom 
pous-looking  coachman  driving.  We  went  to  many 
fine  stores,  at  all  of  which  I  was  introduced  as  Mrs. 
Bardsley's  nephew.  She  told  me  I  must  everywhere, 
and  on  all  occasions,  address  her  as  aunt  Alice,  and 
aunt  Alice  it  was  thenceforward. 

I  was  drilled  and  brushed  up  in  society  manners,  and 
presently  we  began  calling  at  the  houses  of  many  rich 
families.  It  soon  came  to  my  ears  that  I  was  looked 
upon  by  all  who  knew  me  as  the  favorite  nephew  and 
heir  of  the  rich  old  widow.  I  said  nothing  to  the  con 
trary,  for  I  really  did  not  know  the  degree  of  relationship 
that  existed  between  my  mother  and  Mrs.  Bardsley;  it 
might  be  much  closer  than  I  had  ever  suspected,  and 
the  prompt  and  warm  welcome  I  had  received  set  me 
to  wondering,  even  caused  me  to  surmise  that  after  all 
they  might  be  sisters,  or  half-sisters,  at  least. 

It  was  from  the  servants  about  the  house,  both  men 
and  maids,  that  I  first  found  out  that  I  was  the  "  favor- 


THE    HILL    OF    DEATH.  163 

ite  nephew  and  heir."  I  soon  saw  signs  of  it  in  the 
attentions  I  received  at  the  business  houses  we  visited, 
and  also  noted,  with  some  satisfaction,  that  not  a  few 
young  ladies  were  "making  eyes"  at,  and  "setting 
their  caps  "  for  me.  I  was  floating  on  the  top  of  the 
wave.  The  old  lady  seemed  unwilling  to  allow  me  out 
of  her  sight,  even  for  an  hour  or  two.  It  was  with  dif 
ficulty  that  I  obtained  permission  to  go  out  to  see  Cap 
tain  Walker  when  he  returned  to  the  port;  indeed,  he 
had  made  two  or  three  trips  up  the  lake  and  back  before  I 
was  allowed  to  visit  him.  Aunt  Alice  said  there  was 
time  enough  to  think  of  going  on  to  the  lake,  and 
finafly,  that  she  had  in  mind  for  me  better  things  than 
the  lake  or  any  vessel.  In  short,  I  must  give  up  all 
thought  of  the  life  of  a  sailor.  I  was  to  listen  to 
nothing  Captain  Walker  might  say  looking  to  life  on 
the  lake.  After  giving  my  solemn  promise,  I  was  per 
mitted  to  visit  the  Captain,  I  having  informed  the  old 
lady  that  he  had  just  arrived  in  port.  How  did  I 
know  he  had  just  arrived  ? 

This  question  almost  caught  me.  Well,  I  suspected 
he  had  arrived — it  was  time  for  him ;  I  would  go  and 
see.  The  old  lady  eyed  me  sharply,  but  I  got  away. 

Captain  Walker  did  not  at  first  recognize  me  in  my 
fine  and  fashionable  apparel.  He  said  :  "  Good  morn 
ing,  sir,"  in  a  very  deferential  tone  of  voice. 

"  How  about  the  winds,  Captain  Walker?"  said  I. 
"Did  the  magic  string  bring  you  fair  breezes?  " 

"Why,  my  lad!  What!  Oh,  your  aunt  !  It  is  fine 
to  have  a  rich  and  loving  aunt,  my  boy.  Little  did  I 
think  when  I  took  you  aboard  that  I  was  bringing  to 


164  THE    HILL    OF    DEATH. 

Buffalo  the  heir  of  the  richest  woman  in  the  city. 
I — "  «  But  the  winds,  Captain  ?  "  cried  I,  interrupt 
ing  him.  "Did  not  the  *  Nancy '  always  have  fair 
breezes  in  her  sails  ?  " 

"Ah,  lad,  you  have  made  my  fortune  !  "  cried  the 
Captain.  "Sit  down" — we  were  in  the  cabin — "sit 
down,  till  I  tell  you  all  about  the  trips  I  have  made 
since  I  last  saw  you."  The  Captain  then  told  me  that 
the  "  Nancy  "  had  beaten  every  craft  on  the  lake.  In 
everything  he  had  been  fortunate.  "  I  have  only  to 
make  a  wish  and  untie  a  knot,"  said  he,  "and  along 
comes  my  breeze.  The  men  say  it  was  the  devil  that 
came  aboard  and  gave  me  the  string.  They  are  sure 
that  I  have  sold  my  soul  to  the  devil.  One  of  my  men 
says  he  could  have  had  the  charm  on  the  same  terms, 
but  he  refused  the  tempter  with  scorn.  That  is  the 
old  fellow  who  does  the  counting.  He  and  the  others 
have  held  several  pow-wows  in  regard  to  the  matter, 
but  have  concluded  not  to  quit  the  '  Nancy,'  for  the 
reason,  I  hear,  that  '  the  devil  always  takes  care  of  his 
own.'  Now,  no  vessel  is  so  safe  for  them  as  the 
'Nancy.'" 

The  Captain  showed  me  that  only  three  knots  were 
left  in  the  magic  string,  and  requested  a  fresh  supply. 
I  told  him  that  all  the  old  ones  must  first  be  used,  and 
that  a  new  set  could  only  be  made  with  great  ceremony, 
and  with  the  aid  of  certain  potent  charms  and  talismans 
that  I  did  not  always  carry  about  m.e.  He  seemed 
much  disappointed.  I  told  him  to  make  another  trip, 
only  using  the  remaining  knots  in  case  of  great  need, 
and  when  he  again  came  into  port  I  would  renew  the 


THE    HILL    OF    DEATH.  165 

knots.  He  assented  to  this,  but  looked  so  dissatisfied 
that  I  found  it  unpleasant  to  prolong  my  visit.  I  could 
see  that  he  was  beginning  to  count  his  gains,  and  that 
thoughts  of  monopolizing  the  best  trade  of  the  lake  had 
already  taken  root  in  his  heart. 

When  I  went  on  deck  some  of  the  men  were  loung 
ing  about,  and  among  them  the  old  salt  who  imagined 
that  the  Captain  had  sold  his  soul  to  me.  He  rubbed 
his  eyes  with  the  knuckles  of  both  his  fists,  and  stared 
at  me  with  goggling  eyes.  A  sudden  change  that  came 
over  his  countenance — the  blanching  cheek  and  drop 
ping  jaw — told  me  that  the  man  had  penetrated  my 
disguise  of  fine  clothes.  "  Blarst  my  h'eyes  ! "  he 
blurted  to  a  shipmate,  "that's  *im.3) 

In  his  excitement  he  had  spoken  louder  than  he 
intended.  Quickly  turning,  I  said  to  the  man  :  "  Did 
you  speak  ?  "  "  N — no,"  stammered  he,  "that  is,  sir, 
only  to  my  mate."  As  I  turned  and  walked  away  all 
eyes  on  the  deck  followed  me  to  the  wharf,  and  no 
doubt  until  I  had  passed  out  of  sight.  They  thought 
that  the  devil,  in  innocent  and  gentlemanly  guise,  had 
been  aboard  to  look  after  the  Captain's  soul. 


1 66  MY    TALISMAN    BRINGS    ME    TROUBLE. 

CHAPTER    XXXV. 

MY    TALISMAN    BRINGS    ME    TROUBLE. 

My  adopted  aunt  was  glad  to  learn  that  Captain 
Walker  had  said  nothing  to  me  about  going  upon  the 
lake.  She  was  still  curious  about  my  Indian  foster- 
mother,  and  about  the  "  wise  men,"  as  she  called  them, 
of  whom  I  had  told  her  something.  At  last  she  one 
day,  after  much  hesitation,  broached  a  subject  that 
had  doubtless  all  along  been  uppermost  in  her  thoughts. 
She  asked  me  if  I  remembered  seeing  in  her  house  a 
little  girl  in  red,  when  I  visited  her  as  a  child  with  my 
mother.  I  told  her  I  remembered  seeing  the  child. 
She  next  asked  if  I  had  seen  her  since  my  return.  I 
thoughtlessly  answered,  "  Yes;  but  she  does  not  look 
the  same.  She  is  now  tall,  and  is  dressed  in  white.'* 
At  once  she  was  on  her  feet.  "  Where  can  I  see  her  ? 
How  can  I  see  her  ?  "  she  cried. 

I  said  nothing.  The  woman  looked  so  wild  that  I 
began  to  be  frightened. 

"  Will  you  let  me  see  her  ?  "  sne  cried.  J  Taking  the 
totem  from  my  breast,  I  held  the  mirror  before  her 
eyes,  and  said,  "  Look  !  " 

She  gazed  a  moment,  turned  pale,  and  uttering  a 
loud  cry  fell  to  the  floor. 

I  ran  out  and  called  her  maid,  the  cook,  and  all 
about  the  house  to  her  assistance,  when  I  betook  my 
self  to  my  room,  where  I  groaned  arid  gnashed  my 
teeth  at  my  folly  in  having  allowed  the  old  lady  to  see 
and  look  into  the  mirror. 

In  about  an  hour  a  servant  rapped  at  my  door  and 


MY    TALISMAN    BRINGS    ME    TROUBLE.  167 

told  me  that  my  "aunt"  wished  to  see  me.  The 
moment  I  entered  the  old  lady's  sitting-room,  she  cried  : 
"  Oh,  my  child  !  my  child  !  Let  me  see  my  child 
again." 

I  was  obliged  to  produce  the  mirror.  She  took  it — 
almost  snatched  it — from  my  hands,  and  retired  to  a 
seat  in  a  corner  of  the  room.  What  she  saw  I  do  not 
know,  for  she  gazed  steadfastly  on  it  in  silence. 

After  waiting  about  an  hour,  seeing  that  my  adopted 
aunt  still  remained  absorbed,  motionless  and  silent,  I 
advanced  to  her  side,  and  saying  t  must  go  to  my 
room,  asked  her  to  return  me  my  mirror.  To  my  sur 
prise,  she  cried  :  "  It  is  not  for  you.  It  is  my  child — 
it  is  for  me.  Mine — mine  !  "  and  she  tried  to  hide  it 
in  her  bosom.  I  told  her  that  it  was  the  last  gift  of 
my  foster-mother,  and  I  would  not  and  dare  not  part 
with  it.  She  offered  me  immense  sums  for  it ;  finally 
said  she  would  give  all  she  possessed  in  the  world  for 
it;  that  she  must  and  would  have  it.  I  told  her  that 
the  whole  world  would  not  buy  it.  As  she  again  tried 
to  thrust  it  into  her  bosom,  I  was  obliged  to  forcibly 
take  it  out  of  her  hands,  whereupon  she  set  up  such  a 
shrieking  about  her  child,  that  she  was  being  "robbed 
of  her  child,"  and  I  know  not  what  all  besides,  that  the 
whole  household  came  rushing  to  the  room,  and  in  the 
confusion  I  escaped  to  my  own  apartment.  I  was  in  a 
terrible  fright,  as  I  feared  I  had  driven  the  old  lady  into 
a  fit  of  insanity,  from  which  she  would  never  recover. 
The  room  seemed  to  almost  suffocate  me;  my  brain 
was  in  such  a  whirl  that  I  could  not  bring  my  mind  to 
bear  on  the  situation  in  which  I  found  myself  so  sud- 


l68  THE    DEVIL    ABROAD    IN    BUFFALO. 

denly  placed.  I  must  get  out  into  the  open  air.  As 
I  was  gliding  out  of  the  house,  I  unexpectedly  encoun 
tered  two  or  three  of  its  female  inmates  on  the  stairs 
and  in  the  halls.  All  were  moving  about  on  tip-toes, 
all  gave  me  sour  looks,  and  I  heard  muttered  behind 
my  back  uncomplimentary  remarks,  coupled  with  such 
words  as  "impostor,"  "wizard,"  and  "  devil. " 


CHAPTER    XXXVI. 

THE    DEVIL    ABROAD    IN    BUFFALO. 

I  had  thrown  about  my  shoulders  a  long  black 
hooded  cloak  that  I  found  hanging  in  the  room 'I 
occupied,  foolishly  thinking  that  in  it  I  might  pass  out 
without  being  recognized.  But  it  seemed  that  all  knew 
the  old  cloak.  It  was  probably  one  that  had  belonged 
to  the  departed  Mr.  Bardsley.  In  the  grounds  I  ran 
upon  the  gardener  who  gave  me  a  very  black  look. 
He  seemed  out  of  breath,  and  had  probably  been  out 
in  search  of  a  doctor. 

I  determined  to  leave  the  grounds,  where  I  had 
intended  walking,  and  go  forth  into  the  bustle  of  the 
streets.  I  had  on  my  head  a  small,  light  cap  of  black 
cloth.  Stepping  beneath  a  tree,  where  I  would  not  be 
perceived,  for  it  was  growing  quite  dark,  I  turned  the 
visor  of  my  cap  behind,  and  drew  over  my  head  the 
hood  of  the  great  cloak.  I  then  fastened  it,  from  the 


THE    DEVIL    ABROAD.  IN    BUFFALO.  169 

throat  to  the  waist,  with  its  huge  old-fashioned  clasps, 
and  sallied  forth. 

My  mind  was  too  busy  with  what  had  occurred  in 
the  house  to  once  think  of  the  strange  appearance  I 
presented  on  the  street;  besides,  I  did  not  then  know 
how  outlandishly  ancient  the  garment  really  was  in 
which  I  had  desperately  arrayed  myself.  I  took  no 
thought  of  the  direction  I  was  traveling,  therefore,  it 
must  have  been  pure  instinct  that  turned  my  steps  to 
the  water-front.  At  all  events,  it  was  not  until  I  found 
myself  stepping  aboard  the  "Nancy" — she  happening 
to  be  in  port — that  the  confused  whirl  of  events  at  the 
house  of  my  «  aunt  "  left  my  head. 

Before  me  stood  staring  the  old  sailor  who  .had 
refused  me  his  soul.  "  Hello,  tarry!  "  cried  I,  "  how 
have  the  winds  been  ?  " 

"Avast!"  snorted  the  old  fellow,  and,  making  a 
dash,  he  dived  into  the  forecastle. 

At  first  I  was  astonished  at  the  actions  of  the  man, 
but  when  I  bethought  myself  of  the  rig  I  was  in  I  was 
amused,  and  burst  into  a  regular  horse  laugh.  The 
laugh  so  shook  me  up  that  it  did  much  toward  restoring 
my  wandering  wits.  Feeling  that  I  did  not,  just  at  that 
time,  care  to  see  Captain  Walker,  whom  I  had  some 
what  neglected,  I  turned  on  my  heel  and  left  the 
place. 

Being  now  sufficiently  aroused  to  note  what  was  passr 
ing,  I  observed  that  I  was  attracting  much  more  atten 
tion  than  was  agreeable.  Every  person  I  met  stared  at 
me,  and  several  stopped  and  followed  me  with  their 
eyes.  To  escape  this  curious  .scrutiny,  I  at  last  left  the 


170        THE  DEVIL  ABROAD  IN  BUFFALO. 

sidewalk  of  the  thronged  street  along  which  I  was  mov 
ing,  and  entered  the  first  open  door  that  presented 
itself.  This  happened  to  be  the  door  of  a  small  jew 
elry  store,  in  which  were  two  men.  One  of  these — a 
man  apparently  about  fifty  years  of  age — was  writing  at 
a  desk  in  the  back  part  of  the  store;  the  other,  a  much 
younger  man,  stood  behind  the  counter  bowing  and 
looking  at  me  inquiringly.  His  face  said:  "Well,  sir, 
I  am  ready  to  take  your  order." 

I  had  no  order  to  give,  and  thought  of  turning  and 
passing  out  with  the  excuse  that  I  had  entered  the 
wrong  shop,  but,  glancing  behind  me,  I  saw  several 
faces  peering  curiously  in  at  the  open  door.  Again  I 
turned  toward  the  man  behind  the  counter.  As  I  did 
not  speak  the  man  said:  "Well,  sir,  can  I  sell  you 
something  this  evening  ?  " 

I  had  no  money,  therefore  never  once  thought  of 
asking  to  look  at  some  article,  finding  fault  with  the 
price,  and  then  leaving  the  store  at  my  leisure.  On  the 
contrary,  my  talisman  came  into  my  mind,  and,  sliding 
my  hand  into  my  breast,  I  drew  it  forth.,  Satan,  or  one 
of  his  imps,  must  have  prompted  the  action.  Handing 
the  flashing  totem  to  the  young  man,  I  asked  him  what 
it  was  worth. 

The  man's  eyes  sparkled  and  expanded  at  his  first 
glance.  As  he  turned  it  this  way  and  that,  In  the  gas 
light,  I  could  see  his  astonishment  and  excitement 
growing.  His  hands  shook,  and  he  seemed  trembling 
in  every  joint.  At  last  he  gasped:  "  My  dear  sir,  it 
is  priceless.  It  is  the  finest  and  largest  opal  I  have 
ever  seen  or  heard  of.  But  that  I  see  it,  I  could  not 


THE    DEVIL    ABROAD    IN    BUFFALO.  171 

have  believed  that  such  a  gem  existed  anywhere  in  the 
world.  Then  the  workmanship  is  peculiar;  the  carving 
of  the  turtle  is  wonderful  \" 

Then  he  turned  it  over  to  look  at  the  back.  Fool 
that  I  was,  I  had  never  thought  of  his  doing  that. 

He  gazed  a  moment,  his  face  paling  and  his  eyes 
goggling.  "  My  God  !  My  God  !  "  cried  he,  and  drop 
ping  the  talisman  upon  the  top  of  the  show-case,  he  fell 
heavily  to  the  floor. 

As  I  clutched  the  talisman  and  thrust  it  into  a 
pocket  beneath  my  cloak,  I  saw  the  old  man  in  the 
back  part  of  the  store  leave  his  desk  and  run  forward. 
Glancing  toward  the  door,  I  saw  by  the  composure  of 
the  gaping  faces  there  that  not  one  among  them  had 
observed  what  had  occurred.  I  passed  out  through 
the  very  middle  of  the  crowd  and,  as  they  turned  to 
look  after  me,  I  said  sternly:  "Go  inside  and  see  what 
has  happened!  " 

Instinctively  they  obeyed  me  and,  gliding  swiftly 
along,  I  soon  had  the  good  fortune  to  arrive  at  a  dark 
alley.  Darting  into  the  darkest  spot  I  could  see,  I 
stripped  off  my  cloak  and,  folding  it,  took  it  across 
my  left  arm,  turned  my  cap,  and  boldly  walked  back 
into  the  street  I  had  just  left,  presenting  the  appear 
ance  of  a  young  gentleman  who  had  just  arrived  in 
the  city  on  some  vessel. 

As  I  stood  in  the  street  for  a  moment,  considering  in 
what  direction  to  turn,  two  or  three  men  rushed  out 
of  the  jewelry  store  shouting — "  Police  !  Police  !  " 

"Ah, "said  I,  *«  I  effected  my  transformation  none 
too  soon. " 


172  THE    DEVIL    ABROAD    IN    BUFFALO. 

Seeing  a  crowd  collected  at  the  door  of  the  jewelry 
store,  I  asked  if  any  one  had  been  killed. 

"  Dunno,  sir;  a  feller  inside  has  been  callin'  for  the 
perlice.  Two  perlicemen  inside  now,  sir." 

Going  closer  to  the  door  I  heard  a  man  inside 
crying:  "  Take  me— take  me  to  the  jail.  My  time  has 
come!  1  killed  her — I  killed  the  woman  whose  body 
was  found  in  the  lake!  I  will  confess  all!  Take  me 
to  the  judge — take  me  to  a  priest.  Yes,  a  priest — a 
priest!  The  devil  has  been  after  me!  " 

I  could  see  that  the  man  who  was  thus  accusing  him 
self  was  the  one  to  whom  I  had  shown  my  talisman, 
for  he  was  now  in  front  of  the  counter  with  the  police 
men. 

"Do  I  understand  you  to  say,  sir,  that  you  mur 
dered  the  woman  whose  body  was  found  in  the  edge  of 
the  lake  last  week  ?  "  asked  one  of  the  policemen. 

"Yes,  sir — yes,  1  killed  her.  I'll  tell  all  about  it 
now.  But,  for  the  love  of  God,  get  me  a  priest  !" 

The  old  man  who  had  been  writing  at  the  desk  cried: 
<f  It  is  not  so.  My  son  does  not  know  what  he  is  say 
ing.  .Some  rascal  disguised  as  a  monk  came  in  here 
a  few  minutes  ago  and  frightened  him  out  of  his  wits. 
Showed  him  some  awful  thing  that  caused  him  to  faint 
and  fall  to  the  floor." 

"Yes,  it  was  an  awful  thing!  O,  Father,  it  was 
Satan  who  was  here,  and  while  pretending  to  show  me 
an  opal,  such  as  has  never  been  seen  on  earth,  he 
showed  me  a  picture  of  myself  doing  the  murder.  I 
must  save  my -soul — I  must  confess — I  must  have  a 
priest ! " 


THE    DEVIL    ABROAD    IN    BUFFALO.  173 

By  this  time  I  was  in  the  midst  of  a  surging  crowd, 
out  of  which  I  pushed  and  stood  at  a  distance  until  I 
saw  the  self-confessed  murderer  brought  forth  and  led 
away.  I  was  still  standing  gazing  in  a  dazed  way  after 
the  crowd  that  was  following  at  the  heels  of  the  police 
men  and  their  prisoner,  when  the  old  man  I  had  seen 
in  the  jewelry  shop  rushed  out  into  the  streets,  crying  : 
"  Find  that  man  !  Find  that  magician  !  Find  the 
hellish  sorcerer  that  crazed  my  son! " 

No  one  paid  the  least  attention  to  the  old  man's 
ravings,  a  thing  I  was  glad  to  note,  as  I  glided  away 
from  the  spot  in  which  I  had  raised  such  a  great  com 
motion.  As  soon  as  I  could  get  my  bearings  I  steered 
straight  for  the  residence  of  the  aunt  I  had  adopted. 
That  was  not  at  present  a  very  comfortable  place,  but 
I  said  to  myself  :  "  Any  port  in  a  storm! " 

As  it  was  growing  late,  I  feared  I  might  be  shut  out 
of  my  harbor,  but  I  found  lights  burning  in  the  house 
and  persons  astir.  I  hoped  to  slip  up  to  my  room 
unobserved,  but  I  was  seen  by  the  maid,  who  shook 
her  head  at  me,  and  said:  "You've  made  awful  times 
here,  sir.  You've  about  killed  your  aunt." 

"  Do  not  blame  me,"  said  I,  "I  am  almost  insane 
myself.  She  would  see  a  thing  I  did  not  want  to  show 
her." 

"It's  very  fine  to  say  that  I "  cried  the  girl,  as  she 
flung  herself  away. 

Although  glad  to  find  myself  housed,  I  was  yet  very 
miserable  as  I  sat  alone  in  my  great  and  fine  room.  I 
heartily  wished  myself  camped  in  the  centre  of  some 
big  forest  back  in  Canada.  What  it  would  be  best 


174  THE     DEVIL    ABROAD    IN    BUFFALO. 

for  me  to  do  I  did  not  know.  I  could  not  bring  my 
mind  to  bear  upon  the  situation.  I  dreaded  remaining 
in  the  house  and  I  feared  going  out  into  the  streets.  I 
wanted  to  pray  to  the  Great  Spirit  to  assist  me,  but  I 
was  in  constant  fear  of  some  one  coming  to  my  door. 

I  sat  up  listening,  and  toward  midnight,  when  the 
house  grew  quiet,  I  made  my  preparations  and  per 
formed  my  usual  devotions.  Most  earnestly  did  I 
pray  for  guidance  and  protection,  and  most  heartily  did 
I  confess  my  fault  in  having  for  a  moment  thought  of 
Mrs.  Bardsley's  iron-bound  boxes  and  in  the  other  lit 
tle  trickeries  of  which  I  felt  myself  guilty.  Having 
thus  far  eased  my  conscience,  I  carefully  put  away 
what  I  looked  upon  as  the  sacred  symbols  of  my 
religion  and  began  to  think  of  my  bed.  But  1  felt 
that  sleep  would  not  come  to  my  relief.  "Oh,  that  I 
could  see  the  Sky-Sifter  !  "  cried  I.  "  Oh,  that  I  could 
see  my  good,  wise  foster-mother  !  " 

"Then  see  her!"  said  a  voice,  and  the  Sky-Sifter 
stood  before  me.  "  Oron-ya-deka,  is  this  the  life  for 
you  ?  "  said  she. 

"  Are  you  indeed  Ga-on-ye-was, "  said  I,  "or  do  I 
see  before  me  an  image  sent  by  the  Evil  Spirit  ?  You 
are  but  one  and  Ga-on-ye-was  was  two." 

"Then  see  us  both,"  and  the  two  stood  before  me. 
"Leave  here,"  said  the  pair  as  with  one  voice — "Go 
out  upon  the  lake,  or  return  to  the  forests,  but  leave 
this  house  and  this  city." 

I  was  about  to  say  that  I  would  sail  up  the  lakes  and 
seek  them,  when  the  forms  vanished.  I  rubbed  my  eyes 
and  stared  about  the  room,  but  it  was  empty.  Had  I 


THE    DEVIL    ABROAD    IN    BUFFALO.  175 

fallen  into  a  doze,  even  while  thinking  it  would  be  im 
possible  for  me  to  sleep,  I  could  not  tell.  I  drew 
forth  my  talisman,  and,  in  my  mirror,  saw  the  sisters  at 
a  medicine  fire  on  an  island,  or  what  appeared  to  be 
such.  Many  Indians  were  present,  all  of  whom  were 
in  medicine  dress.  It  seemed,  from  what  I  saw,  that 
some  new  mystery  was  being  taught  the  assembled  wise 
men  by  the  sisters.  I  heartily  wished  myself  by  that 
mystic  fire. 

However,  whether  or  not  the  Sky-Sifters  had  visited 
me,  I  felt  that  the  advice  I  had  received  was  good — I 
was  comforted,  and,  going  to  bed,  slept  soundly  till  the 
red  of  dawn  streaked  the  east. 

I  awoke  refreshed,  and  strong  in  my  resolution  to 
leave  the  city.  I  felt  that  I  had  already  done  too  much 
mischief,  and  feared  doing  still  more  should  I  remain. 
What  my  present  standing  was  in  the  house  of  Mrs. 
Bardsley  I  did  not  know,  but  I  feared  trouble  in  some 
shape.  Was  the  old  lady  already  insane  ?  I  feared  the 
worst.  I  had  long  been  astir,  and  the  sun  was  high, 
yet  I  had  not  ventured  to  leave  the  room. 

At  last  there  came  a  knock  at  my  door.  When  I 
opened  it  the  maid  handed  me  some  newspapers,  saying: 
" There  is  something  for  you  to  read." 

She  looked  rather  mischievous  than  cross,  so  I  ven 
tured  to  ask:  "  How  is  my  aunt  ?" 

f'  Your  aunt — your  dear  aunt — is  over  her  hysterics," 
said  she,  and  she  waltzed  away. 

"Not  so  bad,  after  all,"  thought  I.  I  then  seated 
myself  to  look  at  the  papers.  I  found  in  each  an  arti 
cle  with  startling  headings,  so  marked  with  ink  as  to  at 


176        THE  DEVIL  ABROAD  IN  BUFFALO. 

once  attract  my  attention.  The  headings,  as  I  remem 
ber  them,  were  about  as  follows:  "  A  Murderer  Con 
fesses  on  Being  Visited  by  His  Satanic  Majesty;  "  "A 
Mystery  Solved;  "  "  Murder  Will  Out;  "  "  The  Devil 
in  Buffalo.'' 

On  reading  the  articles,  I  found  that  my  man  had 
really  confessed  to  a  murder  which  had,  for  nearly  a 
month,  been  looked  upon  as  a  mysterious  affair.  At 
first  it  was  only  "a  mysterious  disappearance"  that 
had  quite  baffled  the  police;  then,  when  the  body  of 
the  missing  young  woman  was  found,  and  the  crushed 
skull  showed  that  a  brutal  murder  had  been  committed, 
the  whole  city  was  stirred  with  excitement.  My  visit 
to  the  store  was  described  much  as  already  related, 
except  that  I  was  given  a  most  fiendish  expression;  my 
countenance  was  fearful  to  behold.  Some  of  the  men 
that  I  passed  on  leaving  the  little  shop  asserted  that  my 
"eyeballs  glowed  like  living  coals;  "  others  saw  horns 
under  my  hood,  and  the  tip  of  a  tail  hanging  down 
beneath  my  cloak.  The  murderer  himself  asserted 
positively  that  the  personage  who  visited  him  was  the 
devil.  Many  also  had  seen  the  "  awful  cloaked  figure  " 
on  the  streets,  and  he  had  even  visited  and  attempted 
to  board  the  schooner  "Nancy,"  "but  was  prevented 
by  a  pious  old  sailor,  who  told  him,  in  the  name  of 
the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  to  '  Avast!  '  " 


THE    GREAT    AVENGER.  177 

CHAPTER    XXXVII. 

MY     AUNT     DESIRES      ME     TO     SET     UP     AS     THE     GREAT 
AVENGER. 

I  was  preparing  to  leave  the  house  with  the  inten 
tion  of  going  down  to  the  water-front,  to  where  the 
"  Nancy  'May,  quite  determined  to  ship  with  Captain 
Walker,  when  the  saucy  little  waiting-maid  rapped  at 
my  door  and  informed  me  that  my  aunt  wished  to  see 
me.  I  by  no  means  desired  to  see  her.  I  heartily 
wished  that  I  had  succeeded  in  getting  out  of  the  house 
before  being  summoned  to  the  presence  of  my  «  dear 
aunt/' 

"What  can't  be  cured  must  be  endured,"  said  I, 
and  screwing  up  my  courage  for  the  fray,  I  marched 
into  the  presence  of  my  venerable  relative  by  adoption. 

To  my  utter  amazement,  she  arose  and  advanced  to 
meet  me  with  a  joyful  look.  She  gave  me  a  motherly 
kiss  OR  both  cheeks  and  made  me  take  a  seat  beside 
her.  Patting  me  fondly  on  the  shoulder,  she  declared 
that  I  was  sent  to  her  by  the  Great  Spirit  and  that  my 
work  was  good.  She  said  I  had  brought  a  brutal 
ravisher  and  murderer  to  confess  his  awful  crime,  and 
she  was  proud  of  me.  I  had  shown  her  the  image  of 
her  child  and  given  her  the  assurance  of  a  hereafter 
and  a  heaven,  with  much  more  to  the  same  effect. 

She  said  that  having  been  informed  of  the  disguise 
in  which  I  left  her  house,  the  moment  she  read  in  the 
papers  what  had  occurred  the  night  before,  she  knew 
that  I  was  the  person  who  had  brought  the  murderer 
to  confess  his  crime,  but  she  did  not  wish  the  officers 


178  THE    GREAT    AVENGER. 

of  the  law  or  the  people  at  large  to  know  who  the 
1  'devil  "  really  was;  that  was  a  secret  that  must  not  go 
outside  of  the  walls  of  her  house.  She  then  informed 
me  that  she  had  had  before  her  the  gardener,  all  her 
household,  and  all  had  been  charged,  as  they  valued 
their  places,  to  keep  mysecret.  She  took  it  for  granted 
that  through  my  magic  art  I  had  found  out  who  it  was 
that  murdered  the  young  lady,  and  threw  her  body 
over  the  bluff  into  the  lake,  and  that  I  had  purposely 
gone  forth  disguised  in  order  to  bring  him  to  confess. 
She  hinted  to  me  of  several  others  that  she  wished  me 
to  visit  in  the  same  Satanic  guise.  "  My  child,"  said 
she,  "  we  will  be  a  power  in  this  city — yes,  a  power  in 
the  land  !  Within  the  humble  walls  of  this  little  house 
shall  dwell  a  power,  which,  issying  forth  from  time  to 
time,  shall  cause  even  the  proudest  in  the  land  to 
tremble  ! "  and  she  brought  her  clenched  hand  down 
on  a  work-table  before  her  with  such  a  thwack  as 
caused  all  the  scissors  and  thimbles  to  jingle. 

I  was  about  to  protest  that  I  did  not  feel  that  it  was 
my  mission  to  go  into  such  a  work,  but,  full  of  her 
plans,  she  interrupted  me,  and  began  to  shake  her 
head,  stamp  her  feet,  and  rattle  away  in  an  excited 
manner  and  an  angry  tone,  more  to  herself  than  to  me  : 
"  Ah,  the  jade — the  hussy  !  Ah,  the  wretch,  to  talk 
of  me  !  Now  we  shall  see  why  it  was  her  husband 
died  so  suddenly.  She  shall  now  see  a  thing  that  will 
make  her  soul  shudder  and  her  eyeballs  start  from  their 
sockets  ! " 

When  she  had  calmed  down  a  little,  she  turned  to 
me  and  said  she  had  just  been  thinking  of  a  certain 


THE    GREAT    AVENGER.  179 

frisky  widow  in  the  neighborhood  of  whom  she  would 
have  more  to  say  to  me  anon. 

Could  I  have  had  my  wish  that  widow  would  have 
been  found  dead  in  her  bed  the  next  morning.  I  did 
not  at  all  relish  the  role  of  general  avenger,  which  I 
saw  was  about  to  be  thrust  upon  me.  That  I  was  to 
be  a  devil  was  bad  enough,  but  to  be  a  devil  with  a 
woman  for  a  master,  would  be  to  give  the  world  a 
devil,  in  comparison  with  whom  the  original  Satan 
would  be  an  angel  of  light. 

I  was  ruminating  upon  this  when  my  aunt,  who 
seemed  to  be  studying  my  countenance,  said:  "  I  wish 
you  to  feel  at  ease  about  your  mother,  and  am 
going  to  give  her  a  pension  of  twenty-five  dollars  a 
month.  I  will  so  arrange  that  twenty-five  dollars  will 
be  sent  to  her  every  month  as  long  as  she  lives." 

Instantly  I  was  conquered.  I  thanked  her  from  the 
bottom  of  my  heart,  and  felt  that  I  would  be  willing, 
in  consideration  of  her  generosity,  to  play  the  devil  in 
a  mild  way. 

Presently,  after  discoursing  at  length  upon  the  things 
she  had  wormed  out  of  me  in  regard  to  the  sacred  rites 
and  mysteries  of  the  medicine  men,  and  after  a  good 
deal  of  beating  about  the  bush,  she  asked  to  be  initiated 
into  such  mysteries.  She  said  she  wished  to  adopt  my 
religion,  and  worship  the  Almighty  as  the  Great  Spirit, 
after  the  fashion  of  the  red  men.  In  her  talk  I  discov 
ered  that  she  knew  that  I  was  practicing  a  peculiar 
kind  of  worship  in  her  house. 

I  was  curious  to  hear  how  this  had  come  to  her 
knowledge.  After  some  hesitation,  she  informed  me 


l8o  A    GREAT    MEDICINE    LODGE. 

that  Julia,  her  maid,  had  told  her.  How  did  Julia 
know?  Well,  "the  silly  thing"  had  peeped  through 
the  key-hole  of  my  door.  I  intimated  that  Julia  might 
be  a  liar.  She  had  at  first  thought  so  herself,  and  in 
order  to  arrive  at  the  truth,  one  way  or  the  other,  she 
had  also  made  use  of  the  key-hole.  So  I  owned  up 
and  said  it  was  the  only  method  of  worship  I  knew. 


CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 

A    GREAT    MEDICINE    LODGE    IN    THE    CITY    OF    BUFFALO. 

Patting  my  head,  she  said:  "  My  dear  child,  do  not 
be  ashamed  of  it,  for  it  is  the  best  in  the  world.  You 
must  teach  me  your  medicine  mysteries  and  your  relig 
ion.  I  am  not  too  old  to  learn.  This  house  shall  be 
a  medicine  lodge!" 

She  got  along  so  fast  that  I  could  hardly  keep  up 
with  her  in  thought.  "  But,"  said  I,  "  there  are  many 
things  to  be  done  of  which  1  have  never  spoken  to  you 
—of  which  you  know  nothing." 

All  was  of  no  use;  she  must  and  would  be  initiated. 
If  there  were  Indian  women  who  had  been  admitted  to 
a  knowledge  of  the  mysteries,  white  women  should  not 
be  barred.  What  was  the  first  step  ? 

I  squirmed,  but  I  saw  no  way  to  avoid  answering. 
The  gray,  glittering  eyes  of  my  fond  relative  were 
searching  my  very  soul,  therefore,  I  said:  "  You  must 
first  make  your  medicine." 


A    GREAT    MEDICINE    LODGE.  iSl 

"  Make  my  medicine!  How  am  I  to  do  that  ?  Tell 
me,  and  I'll  make  it  at  once,  or,  I'll  buy  it,  cost  what 
it  may!  " 

I  told  her  it  was  not  a  thing  that  could  be  bought;  then  I 
explained  to  her  that  she  must  retire  to  the  inmost  depths 
of  some  forest  and  must  there  watch,  pray,  and  fast 
until  she  dreamed  of  some  living  thing,  and  whatever 
that  was,  whether  bird,  beast,  reptile  or  insect,  it  would 
be  her  talisman  or  totem  throughout  life.  I  thought 
she  would  give  up  the  whole  business  when  I  told  her 
that  she  must  go  into  the  forest  and  watch  and  pray  in 
solitude,  as,  of  old,  did  aspirants  to  knighthood  before 
they  could  be  regularly  admitted,  but  she  at  once  got  over 
that  difficulty.  She  said  it  was  only  because  they  had 
no  other  place  to  which  they  could  retire  in  order  to  be 
wholly  alone  that  the  Indians  withdrew  to  the  heart  of 
a  forest.  To  be  wholly  alone,  and  to  fast  and  pray 
were  the  real  essentials.  She  would  go  into  her  garret, 
where  not  a  soul  would  be  admitted,  and  there  she 
would  remain  until  the  Great  Spirit  informed  her  in  a 
dream  what  was  to  be  her  guardian  totem. 

I  was  obliged  to  concede  that  fasting,  prayer,  and 
solitude  were  the  really  important  conditions,  and  that 
a  wood,  or  a  wilderness,  was  not  essential.  She  then 
cried  with  enthusiasm:  "  I'll  at  it  this  very  night!  I'll 
to  the  garret!  The  chambermaid  shall  make  me  a  bed 
up  there,  and  as  soon  as  I  get  my  supper  I'll  go  up 
there  and  fast  and  pray,  and  sleep  and  dream!  " 

I  told  her  it  would  be  better  to  start  in  the  next 
morning  after  a  hearty  breakfast;  that  then  she  might 
fall  into  a  doze,  and,  dreaming  of  some  object,  would 


1 82  A    GREAT    MEDICINE    LODGE. 

awake  in  time  for  dinner.  She  eyed  me  sharply,  and, 
though  I  kept  a  serious  countenance,  evidently  saw 
that  I  was  quizzing  her.  "Not  a  mouthful  will  I  eat 
this  day  or  this  night!  "  said  she,  "  and  to-morrow  I'll 
go  to  the  garret,  enter  upon  my  real  fast,  and  make  my 
medicine." 

I  could  offer  no  objections.  She  then  said  that,  as 
she  did  not  know  how  to  pray  to  the  Great  Spirit,  she 
would  come  to  my  room  at  sunset  and  join  me  in  my 
devotions. 

I  tried  to  avoid  this  by  telling  her  it  was  all  the  same 
as  praying  to  the  Almighty;  that  the  name  made  no 
difference,  and  it  would  answer  quite  as  well  were  she  to 
pray  in  her  own  room.  But  it  was  of  no  use;  worship 
with  me  she  would,  and  did. 

It  was  a  serious  business  for  me,  and  I  was  at  first  a 
good  deal  embarrassed.  I  could  only  approach  the 
Great  Spirit  in  truth,  earnestness,  and  humbleness  of 
heart.  This  was  easy  alone,  or  with  my  red  friends, 
but  far  from  easy  for  one  of  my  age,  with  a  critical  old 
white  lady  present,  and  with  more  of  curiosity*than 
devotional  feeling  in  her  heart. 

However,  I  made  all  my  preparations  as  usual,  and 
as  the  sun  was  sinking  in  the  western  waters  of  the 
lake  I  began  my  devotions.  My  aunt  had  requested 
me  to  pray  aloud  and  to  pray  for  her,  that  she  might 
obtain  the  favor  of  the  Great  Spirit  in  that  which  she 
was  about  to  undertake.  I  therefore  prayed  for  her, 
my  mother,  and  my  friends  out  by  the  Great  Lakes,  tell 
ing  over  the  names  of  the  ancients  from  their  totems 
engraved  on  the  four  sides  of  my  medicine  wand.  My 


A    GREAT    MEDICINE    LODGE.  183 

fright  probably  made  me  more  impressive  than  usual; 
at  all  events,  my  good  aunt  wept  copiously  toward  the 
close  of  this,  our  first  family  worship.  She  kissed  all 
the  totems  on  my  medicine  stick  before  rising  from  her 
knees,  then  took  up  and  tenderly  kissed  the  little  dried 
turtle  that  constituted  my  special  medicine.  As  she 
did  this,  I  thought  I  heard  a  giggle  at  my  door.  Rush 
ing  thither  and  throwing  it  open,  I  saw  the  little  wait 
ing-maid  scurrying  away.  I  did  not  at  all  relish  this, 
and  told  my  aunt  that  Julia  had  been  peeping  at  the 
key-hole.  '*  Never  mind,  my  dear  child,"  said  she, 
"when  I  get  through  making  my  medicine,  she  shall 
go  to  the  garret  and  make  hers.  They  shall  all  do  it. 
I'll  make  this  house  the  greatest  medicine  lodge  east  of 
the  Mississippi ! " 

I  was  startled.  At  once  I  hastened  to  tell  my  aunt 
that  in  undertaking  to  initiate  her  into  some  of  the 
secrets  of  my  worship  and  its  mysteries,  I  had  no 
thought  of  going  further  and  taking  in  others. 

"  But  don't  you  see,  my  dear,  she  has  been  peeping; 
she  has  seen  so  much  that  she  must  come  in.  Yes, 
this  very  night,"  continued  my  aunt,  "I  shall  tell  her 
what  she  must  prepare  for  ! "  and  her  gray  eyes  flashed 
fire.  '*  Let  me  now  glance  for  a  moment  at  your 
magic  mirror,"  said  my  aunt. 

I  produced  it  and  handed  it  to  her. 

"  Just  as  I  expected  !  "  cried  she;  "  that  little  hussy, 
Julia,  is  out  in  the  grounds  head  to  head  with  John, 
the  gardener.  By  my  soul,  John  shall  make  his  med 
icine  !  He,  too,  shall  come  in." 

Julia  was  not  so   bad,  for  she  was  very  pretty  and 


184  A    GREAT    MEDICINE    LODGE. 

piquant,  but  John  horrified  me.  Again  I  tried  to  pro 
test.  "  But  don't  you  see,"  cried  my  aunt,  ',«  she  has 
told  John.  They  shall  both  come  in — by  my  soul  and 
by  the  life  of  the  Great  Spirit,  they  shall  !  "  and  my 
good,  earnest,  old  aunt  stamped  her  hither  foot. 

I  was  wretched.  I  did  not  like  John,  nor  did  I 
relish  any  part  of  the  business  into  which  I  found  my 
self  thrust  at  every  move  I  made.  "  But  you  are  not 
yet  in  yourself,"  I  mildly  suggested;  "  you  do  not 
know  that  it  is  a  thing  for  which  John  is  disposed  or 
capacitated."  "I  have  taken  the  first  steps,"  she 
cried.  "I  have  commenced  fasting;  I  have  prayed, 
and  I  have  kissed  the  turtle  and — and  the  other  thing. 
To-morrow  I  shall  begin  to  make  my  medicine.  Now, 
adieu,  my  child;  I  go  to  find  that  young  hussy,  Julia. 
She  shall  know  at  once  what  she  has  got  to  submit  to 
—and  all  the  rest.  This  shall  be  the  grandest  medicine 
lodge  this  side  of  the  Father  of  Waters  ! "  With 
this  she  strode  out  of  the  room,  leaving  me  to  reflec 
tions  that  were  by  no  means  pleasant.  But  one  thing 
about  the  whole  business  gave  me  even  a  gleam  of 
comfort;  that  was  the  monthly  pension  that  was  prom 
ised  my  mother. 


THE  PROPHETESS  OF  THE  CAYUGAS.      185 

CHAPTER    XXXIX. 

MY    AUNT    AS    THE    PROPHETESS    OF    THE    CAYUGAS. 

That  night  before  retiring  I  indulged  my  soul  in 
additional  devotions.  I  had  concluded  my  prayer  and 
was  just  rising  from  my  knees,  when  a  voice  behind  me 
that  thrilled  me  to  the  soul  with  its  sad  earnestness, 
cried  :  "  Oron-ya-deka — Oh,  Oron-ya-deka  !  "  Turn 
ing  quickly,  I  saw  the  face  and  form  of  the  Sky-Sifter 
slowly  fading  out  in  a  corner  of  the  room.  I  at  once 
sought  my  talisman,  and,  looking  into  the  mirror,  saw 
the  Sky-Sifter  kneeling  on  the  summit  of  a  mound  in  a 
prairie  region.  Her  face  was  toward  the  setting  sun, 
and  her  hands  were  uplifted. 

Tears  blinded  my  eyes,  and  with  a  sigh  that  was 
almost  a  groan,  I  returned  the  talisman  to  its  pouch  in 
my  breast.  "Yes,  dear  mother,"  said  I,  "I  will  go — 
I  will  leave  this  house!  I  will  go  to  the  old  home  in 
Canada;  will  sail  up  the  lakes  and  come  to  you — will 
do  anything  but  remain,  here."  I  was  almost  ready  at 
the  moment  to  strip  off  my  fine  clothes,  shoulder  my 
rifle,  and  march  forth  into  the  night. 

How  my  foster-mother  could  seem  to  come  to  me, 
and  speak  to  me,  when  really  so  far  away,  was  incompre 
hensible.  I  remembered  that  the  night  she  had  seemed 
to  visit  and  converse  with  Captain  Walker,  of  the 
"  Nancy,"  she  was  all  the  time  seated  near  me  beside 
a  camp-fire  at  the  mouth  of  the  Grand  River.  It  was 
a  mystery  then,  and  is  no  less  a  mystery  to-day.  She 
seemed  able  to  project  the  semblance  of  herself — of  her 
two  selves — to  any  place  she  wished,  however  distant 


1 86      THE  PROPHETESS  OF  THE  CAYUGAS. 

that  place  might  be.  I  began  by  thinking  her  a  mere 
woman — though  a  very  wise  one — and  as  my  knowledge 
of  her  grew,  I  could  find  no  place  for  her  among  the 
mere  mortal  inhabitants  of  the  earth;  and  it  was  the 
same  in  the  case  of  her  brother,  "the  one  who  never 
dies." 

The  next  morning  I  had  my  breakfast  alone.  I 
asked  for  Mrs.  Bardsley,  and  was  informed  that  Julia 
would  tell  me  of  her  whereabouts.  When  I  left  the 
breakfast  room  I  encountered  Julia  in  the  hall,  where 
she  had  been  lying  in  wait  for  me.  Over  night  I  had 
calmly  studied  the  situation.  Although  fully  determined 
to  leave  the  house  as  soon  as  I  could  find  a  decent 
opportunity  of  doing  so  without  imperiling  my  mother's 
pension,  I  resolved  that,  as  regarded  that  which  I 
might  be  required  to  teach  of  my  religion  and  the 
ceremonies  pertaining  thereto,  there  should  be  nothing 
farcical;  though  I  probably  had  no  right  to  teach  any 
thing,  yet,  what  I  undertook  should  be  as  serious  as  I 
could  make  it.  This  being  the  case,  it  wras  not  with  a 
countenance  wreathed  in  the  vain  and  worldly  smiles  of 
the  ungodly  that  I  met  the  little  maid.  My  face  was 
drawn  to  a  degree  of  severity  that  would  have  rivaled 
the  iron  features  of  the  ablest  of  the  red  medicine  men. 

I  was  moving  by  the  girl  with  downcast  eyes  as 
though  I  had  not  seen  her,  when  she  spoke,  saying  she 
had  a  message  from  my  aunt.  I  turned  upon  her  a 
face  of  cast-iron,  and  regarded  her  with  a  look  in  my 
eyes  that  caused  all  flippancy  to  depart  from  her 
tongue,  and  make  the  roses  sink  in  her  cheeks.  Tim 
idly  and  falteringly  she  then  informed  me  that  my  aunt 


THE  PROPHETESS  OF  THE  CAYUGAS.       187 

was  up  in  the  garret,  where  she  had  gone  (<  to  make 

her — make  her "  "Medicine?"  I  suggested. 

"Yes,"  said  the  girl,  "her  medicine  is  what  she  is 
making." 

"It  is  well,"  said  I,  solemnly. 

"  She  don't  know  when  she'll  get  through,  but  I  was 
to  tell  you  she  is  there  and  at  it,  and  you  are  not  to  go 
away  from  the  house  until  she  gets  done." 

I  said  :  "  It  is  a  very  solemn  ceremony,  and  you 
will  please  see  that  she  is  not  disturbed.  It  may  be 
three  days,  and  it  may  even  be  longer,  before  the  Great 
Spirit  answers  her  prayers;  in  the  meantime  she  is  not 
to  partake  of  either  food  or  drink  of  any  kind." 

I  was  passing  on  after  giving  this  order,  when  the 
girl  came  after  me,  and  plucking  me  by  the  sleeve  said  : 
"  Please,  sir,  Mrs.  Bardsley  says  that  when  she  is 
through  I've  got  to  go  up  into  the  garret  and — and 

make,  make  my,  my  med ,"  and  she  broke  down 

and  sobbed  violently. 

"  Your  medicine?  Yes,  I  believe  that  is  my  aunt's 
wish." 

"  Oh,  I  can  never — never " 

"Very  well,"  cried  I,  in  an  impatient  tone,  "I 
suppose  you  know  what  you  can  do — you  can  leave. 
But  if  you  do  leave — well,  you  know  what  happened 
to  that  young  jeweler  down  town."  With  this  shot  I 
walked  on,  saying  to  myself,  "There  is  key-hole  busi 
ness  for  you  to  carry  to  John  !  " 

All  that  day  and  the  following  night  my  aunt 
remained  in  her  garret,  fasting  and  praying.  The  next 
morning  Julia  found  a  note  addressed  to  me  that  my 


1 88      THE  PROPHETESS  OF  THE  CAYUGAS. 

aunt  had  shoved  out  beneath  the  door  leading  to  the 
garret.  The  note  informed  me  that  my  aunt  had 
dreamed  of  a  mouse.  She,  however,  was  not  wholly 
satisfied  with  this  answer  to  her  prayers.  The  garret 
being  alive  with  rats  and  mice,  she  thought  it  probable 
that  the  dream  was  the  result  of  her  horror  of  those 
creatures.  In  a  note  that  Julia  carried  and  shoved 
under  the  door  of  my  aunt's  retreat,  I  advised  the  old 
lady  to  continue  her  fast;  that  if  the  will  of  the  Great 
Spirit  was  that  she  was  to  have  the  mouse  for  her 
"totem,"  the  dream  would  be  repeated. 

My  aunt  continued  her  fast  for  two  days  and  nights, 
when  she  emerged  from  her  garret  almost  famished, 
and  so  weak  she  could  hardly  crawl  down  the  stairs. 
Her  dreams  had  constantly  been  of  mice,  therefore  it 
was  evident,  I  informed  her,  that  the  mouse  was  her 
"totem."  She  was  much  disgusted  at  the  result  of 
all  her  fasting  and  praying,  "  for,"  said  she,  "there  is 
nothing  in  the  world  I  so  detest  as  a  mouse."  I  com 
forted  her  by  telling  her  that  the  mouse  was  a  very  sly 
and  cunning  little  animal,  and  one  by  no  means  to  be 
despised;  that  it  was  on  record  in  history  that  an  army 
of  mice  once  caused  the  defeat  of  an  army  of  men,  in 
ancient  times,  by  invading  their  camp  in  the  night  and 
gnawing  to  pieces  their  bow-strings. 

A  mouse  was  soon  caught  and  its  stuffed  skin,  sancti 
fied  with  due  ceremony,  became  the  medicine  totem  of 
my  aunt;  she  pretended  to  be  very  fond  of  it,  but  I  do 
not  think  she  ever  kissed  it,  as  she  had  my  turtle.  I  had 
found  in  the  store  of  a  gunsmith  an  old-fashioned  shot- 
Douch  made  of  catskin,  which  I  transformed  into  a 


THE  PROPHETESS  OF  THE  CAYUGAS.      189 

medicine  bag  for  my  aunt.  Into  this  bag  I  placed  the 
stuffed  mouse  and  instructed  my  aunt  to  wear  it  on  her 
chest  beneath  her  dress.  I  had  made  the  old  lady  a 
good  copy  of  my  medicine  wand,  writing  out  for  her 
the  names  of  all  the  Indian  saints  whose  "totems"  it 
contained. 

The  next  day  I  was  summoned  to  the  parlor,  and 
going  thither,  I  found  my  aunt  with  her  long  gray  hair 
streaming  down  her  back,  a  feathered  cap  on  her  head, 
and  her  person  robed  in  a  dress  of  the  Sky-Sifter  pat 
tern,  which  she  had  obtained  at  one  of  the  theatres  or 
had  caused  to  be  made  for  her.  She  informed  me  that 
she  had  now  formally  opened  her  house  as  a  medicine 
lodge,  and  that  she  would  preside  as  the  "  Prophetess 
of  the  Cayugas." 

In  preparing  her  .dress  she  had  tried  to  imitate  that 
of  the  Sky-Sifter,  which  she  had  several  times  caused 
me  to  describe,  though  little  did  I  then  suspect  with 
what  object.  As  she  stood  before  me  she  was  the  most 
weird  and  witch-like  creature  ever  mortal  beheld.  Her 
wrinkled  face,  blazing  eyes,  and  long  white  hair  gave 
her  the  appearance  of  being  one  of  the  most  malevolent 
of  all  the  sisterhood  of  midnight  hags.  My  soul  sank 
as  I  gazed,  for  it  instantly  struck  me  that  she  was 
insane. 

"The  hour  of  sunset  approaches,"  cried  she,  "and 
this  night  shall  Julia  go  into  the  cell  of  retirement  at 
the  top  of  the  lodge.  In  their  turn  all  this  household 
shall  follow,  aftej  which  they  shall  bring  all  their  people; 
for  the  Prophetess  of  the  Cayugas  will  here  establish 
her  medicine  lodge.  I  have  sent  my  mouse  into  every 


igo      THE  PROPHETESS  OF  THE  CAYUGAS. 

house,  and  woe  to  all  who  refuse  to  obey  when  I  com 
mand!"  At  this,  she  stamped  the  floor  and  waved 
aloft  her  medicine  wand. 

Ringing  a  hand-bell  for  Julia,  she  seized  upon  the 
frightened  girl  when  she  came  into  the  room,  and,  in 
spite  of  her  struggles  and  screams,  dragged  her  to  the 
garret  and  there  locked  the  door  upon  her  and  left  her 
with  orders  to  "make  her  medicine." 

During  this  proceeding  I  had  escaped  to  rny  room. 
Conscious  of  being  the  cause  of  the  mischief  that  had 
been  done,  I  was  overwhelmed  with  consternation.  As 
it  began  to  grow  dark  I  became  aware  of  much  com 
motion  and  loud  talk  on  the  floor  below.  On  opening 
the  door  and  listening,  I  was  able  to  distinguish  the 
voices  of  my  aunt  and  John,  the  gardener,  both  loud 
and  angry.  John  declared  that  if -Julia  was  to  be  shut 
up  in  the  garret  over  night  he  would  stand  guard  at  her 
door.  There  were  things  going  on  in  the  house  he  did 
not  like.  It  was  no  place  for  the  girl  or  for  any  sane 
person,  as  things  were  going. 

My  aunt  said  the  girl  was  safe  and  aH  right,  and  she 
would  have  no  man  camped  upstairs  with  her;  she 
would  allow  nothing  of  the  kind  in  her  house.  Then 
she  began  to  tell  him  to  "  beware  of  the  power  and  the 
wrath  of  the  Prophetess  of  the  Cayugas!  " 

I  then  heard  John  take  his  departure,  muttering 
and  threatening.  I  felt  that  a  crisis  had  arrived,  and 
that  the  best  thing  I  could  do  would  be  to  get  out  of 
the  house.  I  had  before  thought  rny  so-called  aunt 
rather  cranky,  and  I  now  believed  she,  through  fasting 
in  her  garret,  had  reached  a  condition  verging  upon 


THE  PROPHETESS  OF  THE  CAYUGAS.      1QI 

decided  insanity.  While  I  was  thus  reflecting,  there 
came  a  rap  at  my  door.  On  opening  the  door,  I  found 
before  me  my  aunt's  coachman,  a  young  fellow  who 
liked  me  well,  and  for  many  good,  golden  reasons,  for 
my  aunt's  fine  teams  had,  at  various  times,  been  out  of 
nights  while  she  was  sleeping  the  sleep  of  the  innocent 
and  just. 

Tom  (the  coachman)  hastily  informed  me  that  the 
gardener,  in  his  wrath,  had  gone  to  police  headquarters 
about  the  unlawful  shutting  up  of  his  sweetheart,  and 
that,  besides,  as  he  hated  me  with  a  mortal  hatred,  he 
'was  going  to  inform  as  to  who  it  was  that,  sometime 
before,  had  been  about  the  town  in  the  guise  of  the 
devil. 

Thinking  that,  after  all,  my  aunt  might  merely  have 
worked  herself  up  to  play  a  part,  I  told  Tom  to  go  to 
her  at  once  and  tell  her  to  throw  off  her  Indian  robes 
and  put  on  her  usual  dress  and  manner,  as  otherwise 
she  would  be  dragged  away  to  some  asylum  as  insane. 
I  also  requested  him  to  tell  the  old  lady  that  I  was 
about  to  disappear  for  a  time,  until  the  trouble  blew 
over. 

Tom  fully  comprehended  the  situation,  and  as  he 
did  not  like  John  (for  reasons  that  Julia  understood  very 
well),  he  determined  to  beat  him  in  his  game  by  fright 
ening  my  aunt  back  into  her  senses,  releasing  the  girl 
from  the  garret,  and  restoring  the  house  to  its  usual 
order  by  the  time  the  police  reached  it. 

In  a  few  moments  my  fine  clothes  were  locked  in  a 
trunk  in  my  room,  my  rough  backwoods  suit  was  on  my 
back,  my  rifle  was  upon  my  shoulder,  and  I  was  departing 


192  AGAIN    IN    CANADA. 

from  my  aunt's  gate  as  poor  as  when  I  entered  it,  except 
that  I  had  brought  away  a  few  dollars  in  pocket-money 
to  assist  me  in  getting  out  of  the  place.  The  next 
morning's  sun  found  me  on  the  north  side  of  the  Nia 
gara  River,  and  some  miles  within  the  borders  of 
Canada. 


CHAPTER   XL. 

AGAIN    IN    CANADA — OLD    SCENES  AND    EVENTS  OMINOUS 
OF    EVIL. 

Although  I  have  not  noted  the  months  and  seasons, 
skipping  time  here  and  there  in  my  record  of  events,  I 
will  here  say  that  it  was  now  early  spring,  and  the 
weather  was  beginning  to  be  fine.  I  thought  of  visiting 
my  mother,  but  still  had  some  fear  of  the  Grand  River 
Indians,  knowing  how  long  they  were  capable  of  cher 
ishing  vindictive  feelings  toward  any  person  that  they 
once  accounted  an  enemy. 

I  worked  a  month  for  a  farmer,  in  order  to  replenish 
my  stock  of  money  while  waiting  for  the  trees  to  clothe 
themselves  in  full  foliage,  for  I  had  determined  to  lead 
an  Indian  life  \vhile  "  spying  out  the  land  "  in  my  old 
neighborhood. 

When  I  reached  the  proper  point  I  left  the  traveled 
roads  and  took  to  the  woods,  I  found  small  game 
abundant,  and,  as  I  carried  a  pair  of  thick  blankets,  I 
was  able  to  make  comfortable  camps.  As  I  had  with 


AGAIN    IN    CANADA.  193 

me  a  small  supply  of  flour,  a  few  pounds  of  bacon,  a 
frying-pan,  and  a  coffee-pot,  I  lived  like  a  prince.  As 
soon  as  I  had  found  my  bearings,  I  went  to  the  place 
in  the  heart  of  the  forest  where  I  had  spent  two  or  three 
days  and  nights  in  fasting  and  prayer,  when  sent  out 
by  my  Indian  foster-mother  to  "  make  my  medicine." 

The  place  was  familiar  enough,  but  it  seemed  by 
no  means  so  sacred  as  when  I  had  first  visited  it.  I 
looked  coldly  upon  the  old  Indian  grave  and  upon  the 
"  totems "  carved  in  the  sandstone  rock  about  the 
spring.  My  late  experience  at  the  house  of  my  adopted 
aunt  in  Buffalo  had  given  me  a  distaste  for  medicine 
mysteries;  also,  during  my  month  with  the  family  of 
the  farmer,  I  had  found  little  opportunity  for  due  cere 
mony  in  my  devotions,  though  I  had  not  neglected  my 
prayers  to  the  Great  Spirit,  the  really  essential  part. 

I  examined  the  spring  closely,  and  arrived  at  the 
conclusion  that,  even  though  its  waters  were  withdrawn, 
no  man  could  pass  through  the  narrow  fissure  in  the 
rock  from  which  they  arose.  I  was  seriously  cogitating 
upon  the  trip  that  my  uncle,  ''the  one  who  never  dies,'/ 
was  supposed  to  have  taken  me  through  the  great  cav 
ern  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth.  The  conclusion  I  ar 
rived  at  was  that  he  had  placed  me  under  the  influence 
of  some  kind  of  spell — hypnotized  me — and  led  me  to 
the  spot  over  the  surface  of  the  earth,  on  the  way  so 
influencing  my  mind  as  to  cause  me'to  think  I  saw  and 
heard  all  manner  of  wonderful  things. 

I  decided  to  camp  at  the  spring,  and  go  down  the 
brook  the  next  day  and  look  up  the  spot  from  which  I 
was  supposjd  to  have  started  with  the  Wolf-Man  on 


194  AGAIN    IN    CANADA. 

my  subterranean  journey.  I  wanted  to  ascertain  whethei 
there  was  a  hole  in  the  ground  anywhere  near  the  spot. 

That  evening,  near  the  spring,  I  made  a  small  scaf 
fold  of  four  sticks,  placed  thereon  my  medicine  bag, 
totem,  talisman,  and  all  else  necessary.  I  then  pro 
cured  proper  herbs,  lighted  a  fire,  and  made  a  sacrifice 
of  game  to  the  Great  Spirit,  praying,  meanwhile,  for 
guidance,  and  asking  the  intercession  of  all  the  saints  on 
my  medicine  stick,  Just  as  I  finished  my  devotions  I 
saw  two  Indians,  who  had  been  watching  me  from  the 
opposite  side  of  the  little  glade,  draw  back  into  a  thicket 
•and  disappear. 

To  say  the  least,  they  must  have  been  surprised  to 
see  a  young  white  man  engaged  in  regular  Indian  wor 
ship.  As  the  sun  had  just  gone  down  I  did  not  care  to 
go  out  into  the  dusk  of  the  thickets  in  search  of  the 
men  who  had  been  watching  me.  I  did  not  like 
their  presence.  "If  they  are  Grand  River  Indians," 
thought  I,  "they  will  at  once  know  whom  they  have 
seen,  and  all  on  the  reservation  will  know  in  a  day  or 
two  that  I  am  again  in  the  country."  , 

As  soon  as  it  was  dark  I  allowed  my  fire  to  burn  low, 
then  moved  quietly  a  distance  of  nearly  half  a  mile 
from  the  spot  and  made  a  dark  camp.  I  slept  undis 
turbed.  When  it  was  light  I  wished  to  build  a  fire  and 
cook  my  breakfast,  but  feared  that  if  the  Indians 
were  watching  for  me  the  smoke  would  betray  my 
whereabouts.  While  hesitating,  I  thought  of  my  talis 
man,  and,  looking  into  the  mirror  for  the  two  men,  I 
saw  a  number  of  Indians  in  a  camp  near  the  river,  under 
the  shelter  of  a  thick  wood.  Knowing  that  the  two 


AGAIN    IN    CANADA.  195 

men  I  had  seen  were  among  these,  and  far  away,  1  at 
once  made  my  fire  and  did  the  little  cooking  I  required. 

When  I  had  breakfasted  I  prepared  to  go  down  the 
creek  to  take  a  look  at  the  site  of  the  medicine  lodge, 
in  which  my  foster-mother  was  supposed  to  have  been 
burned  alive.  Before  starting  it  came  into  my  head  to 
consult  my  magic  mirror,  which  I  had  been  carrying, 
concealed  from  all  eyes,  for  over  a  month,  without 
utilizing  it  in  any  way  till  that  morning.  I  saw  no 
one  near  the  spot.  I  then  thought  of  my  aunt  in  Buf 
falo.  I  found  her  sitting  quietly  in  her  parlor.  She 
had  discarded  the  dress  of  the  "Prophetess  of  the 
Cayugas,"  and,  in  a  plain  black  silk,  appeared  to  be 
talking  pleasantly  to  Julia,  who  stood  near  smiling 
demurely.  John  was  at  work  on  the  grounds,  and  Tom 
in  the  coach-house.  Taking  a  look  at  my  room,  I 
found  it  just  as  when  I  left  it — my  trunk  still  in  its  old 
place.  I  felt  greatly  relieved.  Tom  had  no  doubt 
triumphed  in  what  he  had  undertaken.  Looking  for 
my  mother  I  found  her  at  breakfast,  and  smiling  as  she 
offered  a  morsel  of  food  to  a  cat  that  had  mounted  a 
chair  beside  her.  I  was  glad  to  see  her  looking  so 
well,  and  to  see  that  she  had  a  fine  breakfast. 

Being  now  quite  at  ease,  and  feeling  almost  merry, 
I  at  once  set  out  for  the  ruins  of  the  old  wigwam.  I 
had  reached  the  well-remembered  spot,  and  was  stand 
ing  musing  upon  the  tragedy  I  had  seen  enacted  there 
some  months  before,  when  a  white  man,  a  stranger  to 
me,  came  up. 

"A  cunning  old  witch  was  the  squaw  that  owned 
the  hut  that  once  stood  here,"  cried  the  man. 


196  AGAIN    IN    CANADA. 

"  In  what  respect  ?  "  I  asked. 

"In  every  imaginable  respect.  For  instance,  the 
Indians  of  the  reservation,  who  feared  her  as  they  feared 
the  devil,  tried  to  burn  her  alive  in  the  big  wigwam 
that  once  stood  here.  They  caught  her  in  her  hut, 
surrounded  it,  set  fire  to  it,  and  burned  it  to  the  ground, 
but  they  didn't  get  her." 

"  How  could  she  escape  ?  "  I  asked. 

"Easily  enough.  Though  they  saw  her  face  at  the 
door  and  at  chinks  in  several  places,  and  though  they 
heard  her  screams  to  the  very  last,  till  the  burning 
roof  and  side  walls  fell  in,  still,  the  Indians  who  sought 
her  life  never  so  much  as  scorched  a  feather  of  her 
medicine-cap.  She  beat  'em  all.  Come  up  the  hill 
with  me,  and  I'll  show  you  how  she  fooled  the  whole 
lot." 

We  ascended  the  steep  little  creek  bluff,  and  when 
we  were  on  the  top  the  man  led  the  way  into  the  cen 
tre  of  a  small  thicket.  Pointing  to  what  looked  like  a 
sunken  well-curb,  my  companion  said  :  "There  is  the 
hole  she  came  out  at  ! " 

The  curb  was  about  five  feet  deep,  and  looking  into 
it  I  saw  leading  down  from  it  a  timbered  inclined 
tunnel. 

"  You  see  there  that  she  had  at  the  rear  of  her  wig 
wam  a  covered  passage  leading  up  into  this  thicket. 
With  this  means  of  retreat  she  could  show  herself  at 
various  places  in  safety,  even  while  the  roof  and  sides 
of  the  hut  were  all  aflame.  Finally,  when  the  roof  was 
about  falling,  she  could  slip  into  the  mouth  of  the 
secret  passage  and  scream  back  into  the  building, 
while  all  was  wrapped  in  flames." 


AGAIN    IN    CANADA.  197 

<(  But  how  was  it  that  the  mouth  of  the  tunnel  was 
not  seen  the  next  day  when  the  building  had  beer 
reduced  to  ashes  ?  " 

"I  will  tell  you.  At  the  mouth  of  the  tunnel, 
where  it  connected  with  the  rear  wall  of  the  hut,  there 
were  no  timbers — nothing  but  a  few  bundles  of  dry 
fagots  stood  on  end,  and  supporting  bundles  of  small 
sticks  above,  and  back  of  which  was  heaped  a  quantity 
of  loose  soil.  As  soon  as  the  fagots  burned  out — and 
she  doubtless  lighted  them  when  she  retreated — down 
slid  all  the  loose  earth  and  completely  concealed  the 
timbered  mouth  of  the  secret  passage.  By  that  time 
she  was,  no  doubt,  up  here  in  this  thicket,  looking  down 
at  the  fools." 

I  stared  at  the  man  in  surprise,  almost  forgetting 
that  I  had  a  tongue,  but  presently  said  :  "I  must  own, 
my  friend,  that  what  you  say  appears  very  plausible, 
but  how  do  you  suppose  she  managed  to  construct  such 
a  passage?  It  must  be  at  least  seventy-five  feet  long.'* 

"That  was  easy.  She  had  in  the  tribe  a  consider 
able  faction  of  her  own.  These  were  medicine  men 
and  believers  in  the  old  Indian  religion.  They  worked 
on  the  farms  about  the  reservation,  and  had  tools  of 
all  kinds.  She  had  a  gang  of  her  own  people  at  work 
here;  she  had  but  to  speak  and  they  would  obey. 
They  were  also  spies  for  her;  she  knew  everything  that 
was  going  on  among  the  Indians — every  word  and 
move." 

"  But,  my  friend,"  said  I,  "did  not  the  Indians  sus 
pect  a  trick  when  no  bones — no  remains  were  found  in 
the  ruins  ? " 


198  AGAIN    IN    CANADA. 

"Ah,  my  dear  sir,  but  they  did  find  a  body — a 
charred  trunk.  That,  too,  had  been  provided  for. 
Knowing  when  the  attack  would  be  made,  the  medicine 
men  had  dug  up  a  dead  body  somewhere,  and  depos 
ited  it  in  the  hut  to  be  found  after  the  fire." 

"The  business  would  seem  to  have  been  well 
planned,"  said  I. 

"  Well,  indeed,  for  even  the  witch  woman's  husband 
— a  white  man — was  deceived.  He  buried  the  body  in 
grand  style,  and  erected  a  fine  monument  over  the 
grave.  Poor  man,  he  loved  the  woman  and  soon  died 
• — went  to  his  grave  thinking  his  wife  there  before  him. 
I  tell  you,  sir,  that  wife  of  his  was  a  sharp  one  !  Why, 
sir,  the  day  they  buried  the  body  found  in  the  ruins  of 
the  hut,  she  appeared  on  a  bluff  above  the  whole  crowd 
at  the  grave,  and,  beating  a  drum,  she  frightened  all 
the  people  out  of  their  wits — she  and  another  dressed 
like  her,  who  stood  on  the  opposite  bluff.  All  thought 
they  saw  a  double  ghost  of  the  witch." 

So  the  man  ran  on,  giving  me  the  whole  story,  as  he 
saw  it.  But  what  he  could  not  explain' was,  what  hap 
pened  on  the  river  that  night,  nor  in  what  mysterious 
way  all  the  medicine  people  the  same  night  vanished 
from  the  reservation,  taking  with  them  a  white  boy  who 
had  "turned  Injun." 

When  the  man  left  me  I  fell  into  a  brown  study.  I 
remembered  about  the  Sky-Sifter  having  in  appearance 
gone  down  into  the  earth,  vanished  almost  at  my  side, 
and  having  presently  as  mysteriously  reappeared.  It 
now  struck  me  that  probably,  after  all,  the  old  woman 
of  the  lone  hut  was  still  alive.  I  thought  I  would  look 


AGAIN    IN    CANADA.  191) 

for  her  in  my  magic  mirror.  Retiring  to  a  quiet  and 
sheltered  spot  among  some  trees  at  the  edge  of  a 
thicket,  I  drew  the  talisman  from  its  pouch,  and  look 
ing  into  the  mirror  I  saw  the  same  handsome  young 
squaw  that  had  been  pointed  out  to  me  in  the  cavern 
by  the  Wolf- Man,  as  the  spirit  of  the  old  woman.  She 
was  among  many  others  who  were  strolling  along  in  a 
land  so  transcendently  bright  and  beautiful,  that  I  felt 
that  I  was  gazing  upon  the  wonders  of  the  "  happy 
hunting  grounds  " — the  red  man's  heaven.  As  I  gazed, 
quite  fascinated  by  what  I  saw,  a  slight  noise  caused 
me  to  look  behind  me.  At  the  instant  I  turned  I  saw 
the  head  of  an  Indian  disappear  behind  a  large  tree 
not  ten  feet  away. 

I  grasped  my  rifle  and  bounded  to  my  feet.  I  was 
at  a  loss  as  to  whether  to  advance  or  retreat,  but  my 
first  move  had  been  to  take  shelter  behind  a  large  oak. 
As  it  was  now  important  for  me  to  know  what  had 
become  of  the  Indian  I  had  caught  watching  me,  it 
came  into  my  head  to  consult  my  mirror,  which  I  had 
dropped  loosely  into  an  outside  pocket.  I  had  it 
before  my  eyes  in  an  instant,  and  was  shown  an  Indian 
skulking  away  through  the  thick  undergrowth.  He 
was  descending  the  hill  near  the  top  of  which  I  stood. 
I  watched  him  until  I  saw  him  join  two  other  Indians. 
He  pointed  toward  the  spot  where  I  was  standing. 
The  three  seemed  to  exchange  a  few  words,  then  all 
moved  away.  After  thinking  the  matter  over  for  a 
time,  I  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  in  my  search  for 
a  secluded  spot  in  which  to  consult  my  mirror,  I  had 
chanced  upon  the  Indian,  who  had  hidden  in  order  to 


20O  AGAIN    IN    CANADA. 

watch  my  movements,  for  he  might  have  thought  that 
I  was  coming  out  gunning  for  him.  I  laughed  when  I 
thought  of  this,  and,  taking  another  look  after  my  men, 
I  saw  all  three  still  holding  their  course  without  once 
looking  back.  Seeing  this  I  at  once  dismissed  them 
from  my  mind. 

I  next  thoroughly  searched  the  ground  in  all  direc 
tions,  in  order  to  satisfy  myself  as  to  whether  there  was, 
in  the  vicinity,  any  opening  in  the  earth  having  the 
appearance  of  the  mouth  of  a  subterranean  passage.  I 
found  the  spot  where  the  Wolf-Man  had  made  his 
appearance  (and  where  he  was  left  with  me  by  the  sis 
ters)  without  difficulty.  I  ranged  about  the  spot  for  an 
hour,  thoroughly  examining  every  foot  of  ground. 
There  was  not  discoverable  the  slightest  sign  of  a  cav 
ern  or  opening  of  any  kind  in  either  hillside  or  flat.  I 
then  became  satisfied  in  my  own  mind  that  I  had  never 
taken  my  supposed  subterranean  trip.  At  that  time  I 
knew  next  to  nothing  of  mesmerism  or  hypnotism  by 
those  names,  but,  for  all  that,  I  had  seen  not  a  little  of 
the  same  phenomena  under  other  names,  as  *'  spells," 
and  the  "  casting  of  spells."  I  therefore  arrived  at  the 
conclusion  that  the  Wolf-Man  had  placed  a  "spell" 
upon  me,  and  that  while  under  its  influence  he  had 
made  me  see  all  that  was  shown  me  in  the  subterranean 
world.  I  had  pretty  well  made  up  my  mind  that  such 
was  the  case  the  day  before,  when  I  failed  to  find  at 
the  spring  any  means  of  exit;  now  that  a  place  of 
entrance  was  equally  undiscoverable,  I  no  longer  hesi 
tated  to  set  down  the  whole  business  as  a  piece  of 
mental  witchery. 


EVIL    IN    THE    AIR.  2OI 

CHAPTER    XLI. 

I    MEET    THE    SKY-SIFTER'S    DAUGHTERS EVIL    IN    THE 

AIR. 

Having  nothing  more  to  do  in  that  spot  my  thoughts 
turned  toward  the  grave  in  which  the  remains  of  the 
Sky-Sifter  were  supposed  to  lie,  and  I  at  once  bent  my 
steps  thitherward.  On  ascending  the  knoll,  on  the  top 
of  which  was  the  grave,  I  at  once  saw  the  monument, 
a  square  column*  of  sandstone  several  feet  in  height, 
and  near  it  two  women  that  I  immediately  recognized 
as  the  daughters  of  the  Sky- Sifter. 

They  did  not  seem  surprised  at  seeing  me.  They 
were  rather  cold  at  first,  and  merely  asked  what  brought 
me  to  the  grave.  I  did  not  find  it  easy  to  answer, 
therefore  quietly  said  that  being  near  the  spot  I  felt 
impelled  to  revisit  it.  The  only  inscription  on  the 
monument  was  the  name  "  GA-ON-YE-WAS,"  with 
a  medicine  cap  and  feathers  pictured  above  it.  My 
eye  falling  upon  this,  I  said  :  "  Do  you  think  that  the 
one  who  lies  here  was  your  mother?  " 

"Not  our  mother,"  said  one  of  the  young  women, 
"  yet  she  gave  birth  to  us — was  the  means  of  our  com 
ing  into  the  world." 

I  was  not  much  surprised  at  hearing  this,  lor  I 
remembered  that  on  the  occasion  of  the  funeral  I  had 
seen  a  smile  curl  their  lips  for  an  instant,  at  a  moment 
when  all  about  them  was  grief  and  terror.  "  How 
long  have  you  known  this  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  Longer  than  it  has  been  known  to  you;  for  many 
years  we  have  known  that  no  human  blood  flowed  in 
our  veins,  except  that  of  our  father." 


202  EVIL    IN    THE    AIR. 

I  then  ventured  to  speak  of  the  old  woman  of  the 
lone  hut,  and  to  repeat  what  the  white  man  I  encoun 
tered  at  the  ruins  of  the  wigwam  had  said  about  the 
substitution  of  a  body  taken  from  some  grave. 

"  The  man  was  wrong  there/'  said  one  of  the  young 
women.  "The  remains  buried  here  are  those  of  the 
old  woman  of  whom  you  speak,  but  all  the  cries  heard 
were  uttered  by  the  Ga-on-ye-was — our  mother.  The 
body  of  the  old  woman  was  lifeless  a  moment  after  the 
hut  was  fired.  Her  allotted  time  Was  up  before  we 
were  born;  she  was  only  kept  alive  by  the  spirit  of  the 
Ga-on-ye-was,  and  when  that  was  withdrawn  the  mere 
frame  fell  to  the  ground.  Her  body  never  felt  the  fire." 

"  But  your  father,"  said  I,  "  did  he  know  ?  " 

The  young  woman  who  had  last  spoken  quickly 
interrupted  me  by  saying:  "The  body  of  the  only 
Ga-on-ye-was  he  ever  knew  lies  beneath  that  stone — 
the  soul  of  the  only  Ga-on-ye-was  he  ever  knew  still 
lives,  and  is  not  confined  to  one  body." 

I  was  then  informed  by  the  young  women  that  they 
were  on  the  point  of  leaving  Canada.  They  were  going 
to  the  Great  Lakes  to  join  the  Sky-Sifter,  in  obedience 
to  her  orders.  Hitherto,  at  her  command,  they  had 
remained  behind  to  comfort  their  father.  When  he 
died,  they  had  received  instructions  in  regard  to  their 
after  course. 

During  the  latter  part  of  this  conversation  the  two 
young  women  had  descended  the  hill,  yet  I  remained 
with  them,  for  there  were  still  several  points  upon  which 
I  wished  to  question  them,  though  they  seemed  half 
way  hostile.  When  we  had  reached  the  little  branch 


EVIL    IN    THE    AIR.  203 

of  the  creek  that  separated  the  island  mound  from  the 
mainland,  one  of  the  sisters  turned  and  abruptly  asked: 
"  Why  do  you  follow  us  ?  " 

I  answered  that  I  was  thinking  of  going  to  see  my 
mother,  and  that  for  some  distance  my  path  would  be 
the  same  as  theirs.  They  said  it  was  not  yet  time  for 
me  to  goto  my  mother's;  that  she  was  doing  very  well. 
"Yes,"  cried  one  of  them,  "your  old  woman  in 
Buffalo  is  sending  her  money,  therefore  you  are  not 
needed." 

I  was  astonished,  but  managed  to  ask  how  she  knew 
about  an  old  woman  in  Buffalo. 

"Do  you  wish  to  see  her?"  asked  the  girl,  and, 
taking  from  her  bosom  a  shallow  bowl  of  some  jet-black 
material,  she  filled  it  with  water  from  the  brook,  and, 
placing  it  before  my  eyes,  said:  "Look!"  Looking 
into  the  saucer-like  vessel,  I  saw  my  "aunt  by  adoption" 
on  her  knees  in  her  parlor.  About  her  were  eight  or 
ten  other  women  and  a  black-coated  man.  All  were 
on  their  knees,  and  the  gentleman  in  black  seemed 
engaged  in  prayer.  His  face  was  half  a  yard  long,  and 
his  hands  were  uplifted.  My  aunt  was  peering  out  at 
the  man  between  the  spread  fingers  of.  the  hand  she 
held  before  her  face.  The  queer  motions  of  the  great 
mouth  of  the  long-faced  man,  and  the  ludicrous  upward 
roll  of  his  eyes,  caused  me  to  burst  out  laughing. 

The  girl  withdrew  the  bowl,  and,  on  gazing  into  it, 
her  face  became  as  black  as  night.  "So  it  is  thus 
your  convert  now  worships  the  Great  Spirit  ! "  she 
hissed. 

I  said  I  feared  the  poor  old  lady  was  not  sound  in 
mind. 


204  EVIL    IN    THE    AIR. 

"  Evidently  not,  judging  from  what  I  have  seen  of 
her,"  said  the  girl;  then  added,  "  My  mother  is  not 
pleased  with  what  you  did  in  that  house." 

I  said  I  was  aware  of  her  displeasure,  and  had  left 
Buffalo  on  account  of  it.  I  then  told  of  the  Sky- 
Sifter's  visits,  and,  saying  I  could  see  her  whenever  I 
wished,  I  produced  my  magic  mirror  and  handed  it  to 
the  girl.  She  glanced  into  it  a  moment,  and,  without 
speaking,  held  it  above  her  head  with  both  hands,  cry 
ing,  in  Mohawk:  "It  is  the  great  totem!  " 

At  the  instant,  on  all  sides,  there  seemed  to  arise  a 
murmuring  sound.  I  looked  about  me  among  the 
trees  and  bordering  brushwood,  but  saw  nothing. 

The  girl  laughed  and  said:  "  It  is  only  the  wind — 
you  are  a  great  brave  to  start  at  a  puff  of  wind! " 

I  knew  it  was  not  the  wind,  but  said  nothing.  The 
sound  was  that  of  many  suppressed  grunts  and 
whispers. 

The  girl  gazed  sharply  at  me  for  a  moment,  then 
said:  "  I  see  you  are  not  satisfied.  Do  you  suppose 
we  are  so  badly  off  as  not  to  have  persons  near  to 
watch  over  us  when  we  go  abroad  ? "  She  then  placed 
a  whistle  to  her  lips,  and,  blowing  a  low  note,  three 
Indians  at  once  came  forward  from  behind  trees  and 
logs. 

"  These  men,"  said  she,  "  were  watching  over  us 
while  we  were  at  the  grave  on  the  mound.  They 
recognized  the  totem  as  having  once  belonged  to  the 
Ga-on-ye-was,  and  gave  vent  to  their  surprise  and  satis 
faction,  therefore  what  you  heard  was  not  the  wind." 

She   then  returned    me  the  totem,  advising  me  to 


EVIL    IN    THE    AIR.  205 

treasure  it  as  I  would  my  life.  She  said  I  would  see 
them  no  more;  that  they  would  inform  my  mother  that 
I  was  well,  and  then  advised  me  to  decamp  from  that 
part  of  the  country  as  soon  as  possible.  It  was  not  a 
very  friendly  leave-taking. 

As  they  took  their  departure  along  the  trail,  their 
Indian  guard,  not  a  man  of  whom  had  spoken,  disap 
peared  among  the  trees  bordering  the  path  the  young 
women  were  following,  as  if  to  scout  the  woods  for 
their  protection.  As  for  myself,  I  felt  that  I  was  in 
great  danger.  I  knew  that  men  were  lying  concealed 
all  about  me.  The  murmuring  sound  I  had  heard  was 
too  great  to  have  been  made  by  three  men.  I  was  sure 
that  the  calling  them  up  was  a  mere  blind.  I  could 
see  that  while  making  a  show  of  friendship,  the  girls 
at  heart  disliked  me.  Though  they  had  satisfied  my 
curiosity  in  some  things,  it  was  in  those  which  they 
took  some  pride  in  making  known.  Reviewing  my  late 
conversation  with  them,  I  saw  that  it  had  wavered 
between  a  show  of  friendship  and  ill-concealed  dislike 
that  boded  me  no  good.  I  was  quite  sure  that  the 
young  women  were  plotting  against  me.  They  were, 
at  least,  half  human,  and  I  had  always  seen  that  they 
had  observed  my  intimacy  with  the  Sky-Sifter  with  a 
jealous  eye. 

As  I  made  these  reflections  I  was  slowly  returning  to 
the  grave  on  the  mound,  where  I  had  left  my  rifle  and 
camp  outfit.  While  shouldering  my  trappings  I  heard 
the  calls  of  birds  and  other  forest  creatures  in  various 
directions,  the  meaning  of  which  was  plain  enough  to 
me — I  had  been  too  long  under  the  tuition  of  the  Sky- 


206  EVIL    IN    THE    AIR. 

Sifter  to  misunderstand  such  sounds.     I  knew  I  was 
surrounded  and  watched  on  all  sides. 

I  could  not  help  myself  in  the  woods,  but  could  I 
get  hold  of  a  canoe  and  run  across  the  river  I  might 
elude  those  who  were  on  my  trail.  I  did  not  greatly 
fear  losing  my  life,  but  I  was  sure  I  was  to  be  deprived  of 
my  greatest  treasure,  the  magic  mirror.  Who  was  in 
pursuit  of  it  I  did  not  know,  but  was  sure  it  was  a  per 
son  whose  designs  were  favored  by  the  two  girls,  for 
one  of  them  had  held  it  aloft  that  it  might  be  seen  by 
the  eyes  of  some  person  bent  upon  gaining  possession 
of  it. 

As  I  could  not  escape  espionage,  I  assumed  a  care 
less  air  and  sauntered  down  to  the  mouth  of  the  creek 
where,  in  former  times,  was  wont  to  be  kept  the  medi 
cine  canoe  of  the  Sky-Sifter.  I  thought  I  might  there 
find  some  old  "dug  out"  that  I  could  press  into  my 
service  for  a  dash  across  the  river.  To  my  great  sur 
prise,  I  found  there  the  medicine  canoe  of  the  Sky-Sif 
ter,  looking  as  fresh  and  fine  in  paint  and  feathers  as 
when  I  had  last  seen  it. 

My  first  thought  was  to  take  it  and  push  out  upon 
the  river,  but  a  moment's  reflection  told  me  that  this 
would  only  precipitate  matters.  Doubtless  other  canoes 
were  hidden  near  at  hand  that  would  at  once  be  manned, 
and  would  shoot  out  in  chase.  I  therefore  halted,  only  for 
a  moment,  then  turned  and  moved  up  the  river  to  where 
I  knew  there  were  fields  on  the  banks,  and  where  the 
forest  that  concealed  my  enemies  was  back  nearly  half 
a  mile.*' 

After  reaching  the  fields  I  kept  close  to  the  bank  and 


EVIL    IN    THE    AIR.  207 

maintained  a  bright  look-out  for  canoes.  Presently  I 
saw  a  small  one  hauled  up  on  the  beach,  and,  though  it 
was  almost  in  front  of  an  Indian  cabin,  I  at  once  shoved 
it  off,  and,  boarding  it,  began  swiftly  paddling  toward 
the  opposite  shore. 

No  one  came  out  of  the  cabin  from  which  I  had 
taken  the  canoe,  nor  did  any  canoe  start  out  in  pursuit. 
I  steered  for  a  creek,  the  whereabouts  of  which  I  knew, 
and  running  up  into  the  mouth  of  it  a  rod  or  two, 
hauled  my  craft  ashore.  I  then  crept  up  the  bank, 
and  climbing  a  tree  that  was  densely  covered  with 
foliage,  keeping  my  body  behind  the  trunk,  I  closely 
watched  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 

It  was  by  this  time  nearly  sunset,  and  the  opposite 
(southern)  shore  was  well  lighted  up  by  the  slanting 
rays  of  the  sun  and  reflections  from  the  water.  Though 
I  saw  no  canoe  putting  across  the  river,  I  discovered  a 
smoke  that  I  did  not  like.  It  was  in  a  place  where  I 
knew  there  was  no  habitation,  and  had  the  appearance 
of  being  made  by  putting  damp  moss  or  green  leaves 
upon  a  fire.  It  had  a  suspicious  look  to  me,  but,  after 
all,  might  mean  nothing. 

I  now  carefully  scanned  my  side  of  the  river,  for, 
said  I:  "  If  no  men  were  on  watch  for  me  here  I  would 
have  been  followed.1' 

As  I  glanced  up  and  down  the  near  shore  I  noticed 
an  old  blue  crane  flying  along  leisurely  up  stream. 
Half  a  mile  below  me,  a  point  of  land  put  out  into  the 
river.  On  this  little  promontory  was  a  dense  growth 
of  small  trees,  and  one  tall  dead  tree.  The  crane 
steered  for  the  point,  and  was  about  to  alight  on  the 


208       THE    GIANT    WARRIOR    AND    FLAMING    RAFT. 

top  of  the  dead  tree,  when  he  turned  a  sort  of  back 
somersault,  and  with  a  perturbed  flapping  of  his  great 
wings,  wheeled  about  and  went  back  down  the  river. 

"  Aha!  men  there!"  said  I.  I  knew  that  nothing 
but  one  or  more  human  beings  on  the  point  would  have 
so  startled  the  crane.  A  moment  later  assurance  was 
made  doubly  sure,  for  I  saw  go  up  from  the  point  a 
long  line  of  white  smoke,  which  arose  through  the  still 
air  some  feet  above  the  top  of  the  old  tree.  It  was  the 
answer  to  the  smoke  across  the  river. 

I  waited  to  see  no  more.  Doubtless  the  men  on 
the  point  had  seen  me  cross  the  river  and  were  on  the 
watch.  As  matters  now  stood,  I  thought  it  would  be 
best  for  me  to  wait  until  dark  and  then  again  launch 
forth  and  run  down  the  river. 


CHAPTER    XLII. 

THE    GIANT    WARRIOR    AND    FLAMING    RAFT. 

In  descending  from  my  perch  in  the  tree  I  caught  a 
glimpse  of  a  structure  of  some  kind  in  the  thick  wood 
near  the  bank  of  the  creek.  I  at  once  went  to  examine 
it.  It  was  a  long,  low  shanty  of  logs  with  a  roof  of 
canvas — evidently  old  sails.  Bunks  had  been  ranged 
along  the  walls,  ship-fashion.  A  long  table  of  rough 
boards  occupied  the  centre  of  the  single  room.  A  lot 
of  old  pots,  pans,  tin  plates,  and  the  like,  lay  about  the 
rude  fire-place;  also,  I  found  an  old  ax,  an  iron  shovel, 


THE    GIANT    WARRIOR    AND    FLAMING    RAFT.        209 

a  hatchet,  and  some  other  old  and  battered  tools.  The 
place  had  evidently  long  been  deserted.  At  a  glance 
it  was  plain  to  me  that  the  hidden  shanty  had  been 
used  by  a  gang  of  'smugglers. 

My  first  thought  on  glancing  about  was  that  the  old 
shanty  afforded,  ready  to  hand,  fine  material  for  the 
construction  of  a  raft,  but  as  I  could  better  escape  in 
the  canoe,  the  raft  would  be  superfluous.  The  thought 
of  a  raft  gave  me  an  idea  of  playing  a  trick  upon  the 
Indians,  who  were  sure  to  be  lying  in  wait  to  catch  me 
that  night,  if  I  attempted  to  go  down  the  river  and 
escape  by  coasting  along  the  lake  shore,  which  was  the 
plan  I  now  had  at  heart. 

No  sooner  had  I  thought  of  frightening  the  Indians 
than  the  way  in  which  it  could  best  be  done  came  into 
my  head.  I  tore  the  cloth  roof  off  the  shanty,  and  out 
of  a  few  of  the  pine  poles,  small  side-logs  and  punch 
eons  (split  timbers)  of  the  floor,  constructed  in  the 
creek  a  raft  about  six  feet  wide  and  twenty  feet  long, 
lashing  the  whole  together  with  pieces  of  old  rope  found 
in  the  cabin. 

On  the  stern  of  this  hastily-constructed  raft  I  placed 
the  old  table,  turning  it  upside  down.  The  table 
formed  a  platform  ten  feet  long  by  six  feet  wide,  and 
this  I  soon  covered  to  a  depth  of  four  inches  with  soil 
shoveled  from  the  bank  of  the  creek.  This  made  a 
fine  hearth  for  a  big  bonfire.  I  soon  had  it  covered 
with  a  pile  of  pine  knots,  a  large  stock  of  which  I  found 
at  the  cabin. 

At  the  bow  of  the  raft  projected,  several  feet,  a  cen 
tral  log,  in  which  was  a  two-inch  auger  hole — a  hole  in 


210       THE    GIANT    WARRIOR    AND    FLAMING    RAFT. 

which  had  been  one  of  the  big  wooden  pins  that  sup 
ported  a  bunk.  This  log  was  selected  and  placed  for  a 
purpose  from  the  start.  It  was  to  hold  a  mast-like  pole 
eight  feet  in  length.  The  pole  being  found  to  snugly 
fit  the  hole,  I  took  it  down,  and,  with  sail-cloth  and 
bundles  of  dry  leaves,  soon  made  an  image  of  a  giant 
warrior,  robed  in  his  blanket.  Dry  flag-leaves  repre 
sented  the  feathers  standing  up  from  his  head,  and  a 
short  cross-stick  gave  him  breadth  of  shoulders.  When 
the  old  fellow  was  placed  erect  on  the  raft,  he  presented 
an  appearance  so  formidable,  in  the  dusk  of  the  even 
ing,  that  I  was  almost  afraid  of  him  myself. 

After  all  seemed  in  readiness,  and  while  waiting  for 
perfect  darkness,  I  was  still  adding  some  touches  to  my 
giant  brave.  Finding  in  the  cabin  an  old  fish-spear 
with  a  handle  about  fifteen  feet  in  length,  I  so  fastened 
it  that  it  seemed  to  be  carried  in  a  natural  way.  I  also 
arranged  a  mass  of  light  and  dry  kindlings  in  front  of 
my  pile  of  pine  knots,  to  make  sure  that  the  whole 
could  be  kindled  at  the  first  touch  of  a  match. 

In  order  that  the  raft  might  float  steadily,  bow  first, 
down  the  river,  I  fastened  to  its  stern  a  billet  of  wood 
attached  to  a  piece  of  old  cable  about  thirty  feet  long. 
As  the  breeze  would  be  up  the  river,  I  wished  the  raft 
to  so  float  that  the  flames  of  my  bonfire  would  be  driven 
away  from  my  giant  warrior — not  toward  him.  In 
short,  nothing  was  forgotten;  for,  from  the  dragging 
down  and  laying  the  first  long  timbers  of  my  raft,  I  was 
thinking  ahead  to  the  conclusion  of  the  whole. 

I  had  been  mightily  afraid  of  being  interrupted  in  my 
work  by  a  land  party,  therefore  made  the  raft,  and  did 


THE    GIANT    WARRIOR    AND    FLAMING    RAFT.        211 

all  else,  in  an  almost  incredibly  short  time,  for  the  sun 
was  nearly  down  when  I  begun.  As  soon  as  all  was 
dark  on  the  river,  I  made  fast  to  the  raft,  and,  paddling 
my  canoe  without  lifting  the  broad  paddle  out  of  the 
water,  silently  stole  out  into  the  centre  of  the  stream. 
Luckily  there  was  but  a  mere  zephyr  drawing  up  the 
river. 

I  had  at  first  intended  to  follow  in  the  wake  of  my 
giant  chief,  but  finally  decided  that  it  would  be  safer 
to  keep  just  ahead  in  the  dark,  and  so  slip  past  the 
several  camps  while  the  Indians  were  still  wondering 
and  staring  at  the  tremendous  fiery  apparition.  In 
front,  too,  the  shadow  of  the  huge  image  would  be 
thrown  far  ahead. 

All  being  in  readiness,  I  lighted  the  kindlings  of  my 
bonfire,  then  quickly  left  the  raft  and  paddled  ahead  in 
the  strong  current  until  I  was  some  three  hundred 
yards  in  advance.  By  this  time  the  pine  knots,  all 
rich  in  turpentine,  were  well  kindled,  and  a  great  blaze 
was  beginning  to  rise. 

Soon  the  flames  rose  nearly  straight  up  till  as  high  as  the 
head  of  my  bogus  chief.  The  appearance  of  the  effigy  I 
had  constructed  was  most  striking  and  awe-inspiring,  even 
to  me,  its  fabricator.  The  huge  brave  seemed  standing 
in  the  midst  of  a  mass  of  flames  that  were  darting  up 
ward  out  of  the  bosom  of  the  river,  for  no  sign  of  the 
raft  could  be  seen.  A  pillar  of  inky  smoke  towered  to 
a  height  of  fifty  feet  above  the  head  of  the  chief,  and 
the  red  glare  of  the  flames,  striking  through  the  canvas 
composing  his  flowing  toga,  gave  him  the  appearance 
of*  a  living  creature  red-hot  from  Hades.  The  fish-spear 


212       THE    GIANT    WARRIOR    AND    FLAMING    RAFT. 

appeared  to  be  a  formidable  weapon  of  war,  and  the 
dry  blades  of  flag  stood  up  like  huge  eagle  feathers. 

Soon  were  heard  wild  cries  from  the  Indians  on  both 
sides  of  the  river,  and  it  was  not  long  before  the  steady, 
doleful  boom  of  several  drums  rolled  out  over  the 
water;  the  medicine  men  were  out  to  drive  away  the 
Evil  Spirit.  I  felt  safe  when  I  found  that  it  was  thought 
that  the  fiery  giant  was  an  enemy  against  whom  it  was 
useless  to  pit  any  one  but  a  medicine  man.  The  cur 
rent  being  strong  in  the  middle  of  the  river,  the  raft 
made  rapid  progress  down  the  stream.  Owing  to  its 
greater  weight  it  drifted  so  much  faster  than  did  the 
canoe,  that  I  was  obliged  to  make  frequent  use  of  my 
paddle  in  order  to  maintain  my  proper  position  in  ad 
vance. 

From  my  starting  point  at  the  creek  it  was  only  three 
miles  down  to  the  mouth  of  the  river.  When  almost  at 
the  edge  of  the  lake,  I  turned  and  pulled  in  to  the 
eastern  shore,  at  a  point  where  I  saw  a  few  clumps  of 
willows.  There  I  hauled  my  canoe  into  the  bushes, 
and,  climbing  the  bank,  stood  to  see^my  raft  go  by. 
The  pile  of  pine  knots  was  flaming  bravely,  and  was 
not  half  consumed.  My  bogus  chief  seemed  a  grand 
and  terrible  being,  and  without  any  aid  from  the  im 
agination;  what,  then,  must  he  have  appeared  to  the 
eyes  of  the  superstitious  Indians  ? 

Out  into  the  broad  waters  of  Lake  Erie  darted  my 
flaming  raft  and  its  giant  warrior.  When  beyond  the 
influence  of  the  current  of  the  river,  a  gentle  breeze 
took  it  and  carried  it  out  across  the  waters  in  a  westerly 
direction.  I  watched  it  dancing  over  the  swells,  until 


HOW    I    LOST    THE    TALISMAN.  213 

it  seemed  a  mere  torch  in  the  distance,  then  turned  to 
seek  out  quarters  for  the  night. 


-     CHAPTER    XLIII. 

HOW    I    LOST    THE    GREAT   TURTLE   TALISMAN. 

I  took  from  my  canoe  my  blankets,  rifle,  and  a  small 
sack  of  provisions,  and  crossing  two  or  three  small  sand 
dunes,  went  up  into  a  patch  of  thick  wood  on  a  low 
hill.  I  had  carried  the  little  bag  of  cooked  meat  and 
bread  all  day,  without  finding  leisure  for  making  an 
undisturbed  meal,  and  I  was  becoming  ravenously 
hungry.  After  devouring  the  contents  of  the  sack,  I 
crawled  into  a  thicket,  wrapped  myself  in  my  blankets, 
and  was  soon  sound  asleep.  I  felt  quite  safe,  for  I 
thought  I  had  completely  outwitted  my  pursuers. 

When  I  lay  down  to  sleep,  it  was  my  intention  to 
take  to  my  canoe,  about  daylight,  and  paddle  down  along 
the  shore  of  the  lake  till  I  came  to  the  first  town  inhab 
ited  by  whites;  judge,  then,  of  my  dismay  when  I  woke 
and  found  the  sun  nearly  an  hour  high.  Making  a  roll 
of  my  blankets,  and  shouldering  my  rifle,  I  crept  out 
of  the  thicket  and  cautiously  descended  the  hill  to  the 
lower  ground.  Meeting  with  the  tracks  made  by  me 
the  night  before  in  crossing  the  sand  dunes,  I  naturally 
began  to  trace  them  back,  as  they  would  lead  me  to 
where  my  canoe  was  hidden  in  the  willows. 

I  had  not  proceeded  two  rods  before  another  faint 


214  HOW    *    LOST    THE    TALISMAN. 

mark  in  the  sand  attracted  my  attention.  A  slight 
examination  showed  me  the  light  imprint  of  a  moccasin, 
and  having  seen  one,  it  was  easy  to  find  enough  others 
to  make  it  plain  to  me  that  some  persistent  red  man 
had  never  once  lost  sight  of  me,  and  was,  doubtless,  at 
the  moment  watching  me  from  some  lurking-place  near 
at  hand.  No  doubt  I  had  been  watched  while  building 
my  raft  and  bogus  chief.  Why  I  was  not  then  taken 
and  robbed,  I  could  not  comprehend. 

All  being  "up  with  me,"  as  regarded  hiding,  I 
marched  boldly  down  to  my  canoe.  On  coming  to  the 
river,  I  glanced  across  it  and  saw  a  great  number  of 
large  canoes  drawn  up  on  the  beach,  with  a  populous 
camp  of  Indians  on  the  sandy  flat  above.  It  was  the 
same  spot  on  which  I  had  camped  with  the  Sky-Sifter 
the  night  before  she  set  sail  up  the  lake.  Instantly  it 
flashed  into  my  mind  that  the  daughters  of  the  Sky- 
Sifter  were  about  setting  sail,  and  that  the  crowd  of 
Indians  I  saw  were  men  from  the  Great  Lakes  sent  to 
conduct  this  second  exodus  of  the  faithful  and  worthy. 
These  were  the  men  who  had  been  dogging  me — friends 
of  my  foster-mother,  and,  no  doubt,  my  own  sworn 
brothers  in.  the  mysteries  of  the  worship  of  the  Great 
Spirit.  I  could  now  well  comprehend  why  I  had  not 
at  once  been  knocked  on  the  head  and  robbed  of  my 
talisman. 

I  found  my  canoe  safe,  but  I  knew  it  would  be  use 
less  to  venture  forth  in  it.  After  a  moment's  reflection 
I  concluded  to  secure  the  small  supply  of  provisions 
and  cooking  utensils  left  in  the  canoe,  and  take  to  the 
woods.  No  sooner  planned  than  executed.  In  five 


HOW    I    LOST    THE    TALISMAN.  215 

minutes  I  was  out  in  a  dense  part  of  the  forest.  "  The 
fools  forgot  I  had  legs!  "  said  I,  and  I  chuckled  audibly. 

At  the  instant,  I  saw  three  Indians  coming  to  meet 
me.  They  were  strangers,  and  not  Mohawks.  They 
greeted  me  in  a  friendly  way  in  broken  English.  After 
talking  a  while,  one  of  them  offered  to  sell  me  his 
blanket.  Although  I  told  the  man  I  did  not  want  it, 
he  said  it  was  just  the  thing  for  me.  "  See,  him  plenty 
long  to  sleep  in,"  said  the  man,  the  largest  and  tallest 
of  the  party.  "  Him  reach  from  you  head  to  you 
heel,"  and,  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he  gave  the 
blanket  a  fling  in  such  a  way  that  it  enveloped  my 
head. 

In  an  instant  I  found  myself  closely  pinioned  in  the 
arms  of  two  strong  men.  "•  You  have  only  to  be 
quiet,"  said  the  third  man,  as  he  proceeded  to  open 
my  vest,  "  and  you  will  not  be  hurt;  what  I  do  is 
orders; "  and  he  took  from  me  my  treasured  talisman. 
When  my  head  was  released  from  the  folds  of  the 
blanket,  my  rifle  was  taken.  "  You  will  find  it  in 
you  canoe/'  said  the  man  who  carried  it  away. 

Although  I  did  not  then  fully  appreciate  the  value  of 
what  I  had  lost,  I  was  almost  heart-broken  at  being 
robbed  of  a  treasure  of  such  inestimable  value,  and  so 
wonderful  as  regarded  its  use.  I  threw  myself  upon 
the  ground,  feeling  that  what  I  had  lost  far  surpassed, 
in  power  to  aid  me,  any  of  the  natural  senses  with 
which  I  was 'born.  However,  as  I  began  to  more  care 
fully  consider  this  point,  I  found  that  my  natural  senses 
were,  after  all,  more  useful  for  all  purposes  of  every- day 
life;  the  talisman  gave  me  a  certain  power  and  instant 


2l6  HOW    I    LOST    THE    TALISMAN. 

knowledge  of  things  passing  at  a  distance,  but,  after  all, 
this  knowledge  was  of  a  kind  that  I  could  well  do  with 
out.  In  looking  back,  it  appeared  to  me  that  the  tal 
isman  had  brought  me  more  or  less  trouble  whenever  I 
had  made  any  public  use  of  it — when  I  had  permitted 
anyone  save  myself  to  behold  its  revelations. 

After  rolling  about  on  the  ground  for  half  an  hour, 
I  got  upon  my  feet  determined  to  not  be  cast  down  by 
my  mishap,  but  to  make  the  best  fight  in  life  possible 
with  the  use  of  the  senses  natural  to  me.  I  need  not 
now  fear  going  anywhere,  as  I  possessed  nothing  that 
any  man  coveted,  therefore  I  went  boldly  enough  down 
to  the  canoe,  and  in  it  found  my  rifle,  a  thing  of  more 
vital  use  than  was  the  talisman — it  would  procure  me 
food  in  the  wilderness,  whereas  the  other  would  let  me 
starve  while  feasting  my  eyes  on  dinners  hundreds  of 
miles  away.  As  I  came  to  the  river,  I  saw  the  fleet  of 
Indian  canoes,  with  sails  set,  just  moving  out  upon  the 
broad  waters  of  the  lake.  My  heart  was  bitter  toward 
all  who  thus  sailed  away,  not  only  because  of  my  great 
loss,  but  also  for  the  reason  that  I  saw  that  I  had  been 
played  like  a  trout  by  the  Indians  and  finally  hauled  in 
when  it  suited  their  purpose.  I  knew  that  this  had  not 
been  done  without  the  knowledge  and  consent  of  the 
Sky-Sifter,  therefore  I  might  consider  myself  excommu 
nicated — cast  out  from  among  those  initiated  into 
the  mysteries  of  the  worship  of  the  Great  Spirit.  In 
my  rage  I  stripped  off  and  threw  into  the  river  my 
medicine  bag,  my  totem  stick,  my  dried  turtle,  and  all 
else  of  the  Indian  worship. 

While  I  was  thus  flinging  away  the  emblems  of  my 


HOW    I    LOST    THE    TALISMAN.  2iy 

religion  and  resolving  to  go  over  to  the  Evil  Spirit,  I 
saw  a  small  canoe  leave  the  departing  fleet  and  turn 
back  toward  the  mouth  of  the  river.  It  contained  only 
one  man,  and  he  seemed  to  paddle  for  dear  life.  Two 
big  canoes  took  in  their  sails,  and,  getting  out  paddles, 
started  after  the  man  in  the  little  craft,  but  they  had 
only  begun  the  chase  when  they  turned  back,  doubtless 
in  obedience  to  orders  from  someone  high  in  authority. 

After  seeing  the  solitary  canoeman  turn  into  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  I  slipped  down  into  my  canoe, 
determined  to  keep  out  of  sight  until  he  had  passed. 
I  lay  a  long  time  at  the  bottom  of  my  canoe,  and  was 
on  the  point  of  peeping  out  to  see  what  had  become  of 
the  fellow  when  I  heard  the  sound  of  a  paddle  close  at 
hand.  Looking  up,  I  found  the  canoe  almost  upon 
me.  In  it  was  a  young  Mohawk  known  to  me  by 
sight. 

The  man  did  not  speak  until  he  had  hauled  up  his 
canoe  and  stepped  ashore.  He  then  said  he  wanted  to 
*'  have  a  talk,3'  and  asked  me  to  come  out  to  the  bank. 
We  had  a  long  talk,  much  of  which  was  of  interest 
to  me.  First  of  all,  he  told  me  why  he  deserted  the 
fleet.  It  was  because  he  was  in  love  with  a  young  girl 
to  whom  he  was  going  back.  Her  parents  had  given 
up  the  old  religion — cared  nothing  for  it.  He  secretly 
held  to  the  old  religion,  but  made  no  talk  about  any 
religion;  therefore,  his  love  affair  prospered.  All  was 
arranged  for  his  affianced  to  go  with  him  up  the  lakes  as 
his  wife,  but,  at  the  last  moment,  the  parents  found  out 
the  character  of  the  expedition— that  it  was  a  religious 
exodus — and  the  girl  was  forbidden  to  leave  the  house. 


2l8  HOW    I    LOST    THE    TALISMAN. 

She  was  made  to  tell  her  lover  she  had  changed  her  mind 
and  would  not  go  with  him.  At  this  he  was  piqued, 
and  started  away  with  the  others,  but  when  out  on  the 
lake  his  "  heart  was  too  strong,"  and  he  turned  back. 
He  said  the  chief  laughed  when  he  ordered  the  pursu 
ing  boats  back,  and  cried  out:  "  Let  the  boy  go,  there 
is  a  fawn  he  wishes  to  bring  up  the  lakes." 

The  young  Mohawk  informed  me  that  it  was  a  chief, 
who  had  seen  the  talisman  when  it  was  given  me  by  the 
Sky-Sifter,  who  had  finally  succeeded  in  taking  it  from 
me  after  long  watching.  He  had  refrained  from  taking 
it  until  the  last  moment,  fearing  that  I  would  invoke 
the  aid  of  the  white  officers  of  the  law  who  would  come 
out  upon  the  lake  with  an  armed  boat  and  stop  the  fleet 
of  canoes.  This  chief  was  to  marry  one  of  the  Sky- 
Sifter's  daughters  on  the  arrival  of  the  party  at  the 
Great  Lakes.  The  girls  had  sent  word  to  their  mother 
to  my  injury.  All  this,  and  much  more,  that  the  young 
Indian  told  me,  gave  me  to  understand  very  distinctly 
that  the  girls  were  my  enemies,  and  that  I  had  been 
very  closely  watched  while  in  Buffalo.  ^It  was  evident 
that  the  chief  had  never  ceased  plotting  to  obtain  pos 
session  of  the  talisman  from  the  time  he  had  seen  it 
pass  into  my  hands.  I  was  told  of  a  white  spy  who 
was  in  the  house  in  which  I  lived  in  Buffalo,  and  be 
lieved  that  this  spy  was  either  Julia  or  the  gardener. 

The  young  Indian  went  to  his  canoe  and,  to  my  sur 
prise,  brought  up  the  bank  to  me  my  medicine  bag, 
prayer  stick,  and  turtle  totem.  He  had  picked-  them 
up  in  the  river,  and  knew  them,  as  he  had  seen  me  use 
them.  He  acknowledged  that  he  had  been  one  of  those 


HOW    I    LOST    THE    TALISMAN.  219 

who  dogged  me  in  the  woods  and  had  watched  me  at 
the  medicine  spring.  I  told  him  I  was  done  with  such 
things  and  he  might  keep  them. 

He  was  delighted  to  get  hold  of  the  wolfskin  medi 
cine  bag  and  totem  stick,  but  advised  me  to  keep  the 
turtle  if  I  thought  of  going  upon  the  lakes;  it  was  my 
medicine  and  would  prevent  my  being  drowned.  He 
said  his  totem  was  much  the  same,  as  it  was  the  frog,  a 
creature  that  could  live  either  in  water  or  on  land, 
therefore,  he  would  never  be  "  drowned."  To  please 
the  young  fellow,  I  resumed  possession  of  the  turtle 
totem,  and,  owing  to  it  or  good  luck,  in  after  times 
safely  passed  through  three  shipwrecks. 

I  was  anxious  to  go  up  the  river  and  pay  a  visit  to 
my  mother,  but  the  young  Indian  told  me  it  would  not 
do.  Being  in  love  and  pleased  with  what  I  had  advised 
him  to  do  in  that  business,  the  young  man  felt  well 
toward  me.  He  said  the  Indians  were  in  a  dangerous 
mood.  They  had  heard  of  my  return,  and  unfortunately 
for  me  two  cabins  had  recently  burned,  a  cow  or  two 
had  died,  and  some  children  were  acting  as  though 
bewitched;  all  of  these  mishaps  were  owing,  it  was  said, 
to  my  return  and  my  enmity. 

As  I  could  not  go  up  the  river  I  told  the  young  man 
where  my  canoe  belonged,  and  prevailed  upon  him  to 
take  it  in  tow  and  restore  it  to  the  owner.  As  soon  as 
he  was  gone  I  started  down  the  lake  shore  on  foot, 
watching  for  game  as  I  traveled,  for  I  was  again  very 
hungry.  I  soon  shot  four  or  five  fat  squirrels,  and, 
finding  a  spring,  built  a  fire  and  breakfasted  like  a  lord. 
That  night  I  camped  in  the  forest,  and  the  next  morn- 


220  A    PHANTOM    ARMY. 

ing  directed  my  steps  toward  a  white  settlement  to  look 
for  work  on  a  farm,  pretty  well  cured  of  all  my  "  medi 
cine  "  notions  and  the  Indian  religion,  though  I  still 
clung  to  the  Great  Spirit,  as  being  the  same  as  the 
white  man's  God. 

I  spent  a  week  in  trying  to  find  work  among  the 
farmers.  It  was  the  wrong  time  in  the  season.  All 
told  me  that  a  few  weeks  later  there  would  be  plenty 
of  work  in  the  harvest  fields.  After  a  few  days  I  made 
my  way  to  Port  Robinson,  where  I  found  employment 
at  driving  a  team,  with  very  fair  wages. 


CHAPTER     XLIV. 

A    PHANTOM    ARMY. 

What  I  am  now  about  to  relate  may  be  set  down  by 
some  persons  as  a  mere  hallucination,  but  if  so,  it  was 
a  hallucination  of  hearing  as  well  as  of  sight;  and, 
besides,  was  of  such  a  nature*  as  affected  many  others 
as  strongly  as  it  did  myself. 

It  was  in  July,  1839,  as  I  happen  to  remember,  for  I 
was  then  nearly  twenty  years  of  age,  that  I  started  out 
from  Port  Robinson,  one  evening,  for  Niagara,  with  a 
political  prisoner.  I  was  driving  a  wagon  in  which  was 
the  prisoner,  and  also  a  corporal,  with  a  guard  of  six 
soldiers.  To  "haul  "  a  man  away  to  his  death  was  a 
kind  of 'job  I  did  not  relish,  but  I  was  not  then  my  own 
master,  therefore  obeyed  the  orders  of  my  employer. 


A    PHANTOM    ARMY.  221 

Besides  the  soldiers  in  the  wagon,  we  were  attended  by 
an  additional  guard  of  six  cavalrymen  under  command 
of  a  sergeant,  who  rode  alongside  the  wagon. 

Nothing  unusual  occurred,  and  we  all  moved  along 
quietly  until  we  neared  Brock's  monument,  at  Queens- 
town  Heights.  It  was  here  that  was  fought  (October 
13,  1812)  a  battle  that  proved  disastrous  to  a  body  of 
Americans,  who  made  an  attempt  to  invade  Canada, 
under  General  Van  Rensselaer.  This  General  sent  a 
portion  of  his  troops  across  the  Niagara  River  to  attack 
the  British  at  Queenstown  Heights.  The  English  were 
driven  from  their  position,  and  in  the  fight  General 
Brock  was  killed.  General  Van  Rensselaer  then  returned 
to  the  American  shore  to  bring  over  the  remainder  of 
his  army;  but  the  militia  proved  a  cowardly  set  of  fel 
lows,  and,  denying  the  constitutional  right  of  their 
commander  to  take  them  out  of  their  own  State,  they 
refused  to  embark.  Meantime  their  comrades  on  the 
Canadian  shore,  so  basely  abandoned  to  their  fate, 
were  having  a  terrible  and  bloody  struggle  with  the 
British  and  Indians,  who  had  returned  to  the  attack  on 
finding  that  no  reinforcements  came  from  the  American 
side  of  the  river.  Though  the  Americans  fought  des 
perately  for  a  time,  they  were  at  last  obliged  to  give 
way.  Many  were  killed  and  many  forced  over  the 
Heights,  the  remainder  surrendering  when  overpowered 
and  all  retreat  cut  off.  In  the  fight  some  wild  work 
was  done  by  the  Indians,  and  many  took  the  leap  over 
the  cliffs  rather  than  fall  into  their  hands. 

Such  is  a  brief  sketch  of  the  battle  fought  near  the 
place  where  stands  the  monument  erected  by  the 


222  A    PHANTOM    ARMY. 

% 

English  to  their  General,  Sir  Isaac  Brock.  As  we  drew 
near  and  were  on  the  old  battle-ground,  our  horses  all 
stopped  and  could  not  be  made  to  move  a  step,  all 
trembling  and  snorting  with  terror. 

We  were  just  beginning  to  speak  of  the  strange  con 
duct  of  our  animals,  when  there  followed  that  which 
rendered  us  tongue-tied'and  dumb.  From  the  ground 
about  us  there  rose  a  strong  light  with  a  sort  of  phos 
phorescent  glare.  Though  all  seemed  almost  as  bright 
as  day,  yet  it  was  with  a  sort  of  blue,  quivering,  unnat 
ural  light.  Almost  the  instant  the  light  flashed  up,  the 
forms  of  men  and  horses  arose,  seeming  to  come  up 
out  of  the  ground. 

On  the  instant,  pandemonium  appeared  to  have 
broken  loose.  The  air  was  rent  with  yells  and  the 
rapid  report  of  firearms.  Forms  on  foot  and  on  horse 
back  rushed  to  and  fro  past  us,  and  on  all  sides  was 
heard  the  clashing  of  swords  and  bayonets. 

At  times,  the  forms  of  both  men  and  horses  appeared 
to  pass  over  us,  under  us,  and  on  every  side;  we 
seemed  not  to  incommode  the  shadowy  Jorms  or  to  be 
in  the  least  in  their  way,  as  they  rushed  back  and  forth 
like  flashes  of  light.  Groans  and  yells  arose  on  all 
sides,  and  at  times  the  whoops  of  the  Indians  almost 
drowned  the  crack  of  the  rifles  and  muskets.  Indeed, 
the  commotion  was  such  that  it  appeared  to  jar  the 
solid  earth. 

The  cavalry  escort,  with  the  sergeant  in  the  lead, 
turned  tail  and  left  us  soon  after  the  uproar  began. 
The  corporal  and  his  men  stood  it  a  few  moments 
longer,  when  they  leaped  from  the  wagon  and  took  the 


A    PHANTOM    ARMY.  223 

back  track.  Thus  I  was  left  alone  with  the  prisoner, 
who  seemed  to  be  unable  to  move  a  limb  or  utter  a 
word,  so  utterly  overcome  was  he  by  the  terrors  of  the 
scene.  I  merely  felt  a  sort  of  cold  numbness  and  an 
instantaneous  conviction  that  I  could  only  stand  my 
ground  and  let  things  take  their  course. 

In  the  first  flash  of  the  light  and  opening  of  the 
scene,  it  darted  into  my  mind  that  it  might  be  a  plan 
concocted  to  frighten  off  the  guards  and  rescue  the 
prisoner,  but  I  soon  gave  that  up,  as  the  shadowy  war 
riors  all  seemed  intent  on  business  of  their  own,  and 
none  of  their  movements  were  made  with  the  least 
reference  to  us;  indeed,  as  I  have  said  above,  they 
appeared  to  pass  over  and  all  about  us,  utterly  ignor 
ing  our  presence. 

How  long  the  whole  vision  lasted  I  do  not  know,  for 
I  was  not  in  a  condition  of  mind  to  take  note  of  time. 
It  seemed  five  or  ten  minutes,  yet  the  whole  thing  may 
have  swept  along  almost  with  the  swiftness  of  light.  It 
ended  with  a  rush  to  the  brink  of  the  heights,  and, 
being  so  situated  in  regard  to  a  curve  in  these,  that  I 
could  look  down  their  face,  I  saw  men  who  had  leaped 
over,  clinging  to  the  tops  and  boughs  of  scores  of  trees. 
These  the  red-skins  were  fast  shooting  and  butchering. 

After  this  it  grew  dark  and  silent  as  suddenly  as  the 
lights  and  all  else  had  flashed  up.  I  shouted  tor  the 
soldiers,  and  they  presently  answered  and  came  back 
to  the  wagon.  They  assured  me  that  they  had  retreated 
only  two  or  three  hundred  yards  before, all  had  become 
silent,  dark,  and  "natural.  They  had  then  halted,  and 


224  A    PHANTOM    ARMY. 

were  consulting  about  returning  to  the  wagon,  when 
they  heard  me  calling  to  them. 

Two  of  the  soldiers  told  me  that  just  as  they  were 
leaving  the  wagon  they  saw  an  officer  shot  from  his 
horse  that  they  believed  was  General  Brock,  or  at  least 
his  ghost.  All  were  sorry  that  the  prisoner  had  not 
seized  upon  the  opportunity  that  so  strangely  offered  to 
make  his  escape;  for,  after  all,  the  man  was  merely  a 
raider  on  Canadian  soil,  and  he  had  shown  great  cour 
age  before  being  captured.  The  man  was  taken  to 
Niagara,  where,  in  due  time,  the  halter  ended  his  life. 

At  first  I  was  of  the  opinion  that  the  ghostly  battle- 
scene  was  enacted  in  order  to  permit  of  the  man  mak 
ing  his  escape;  but  since,  I  have  thought  it  was  intended 
as  a  warning  to  him  that  he  must  soon  join  the  crew  of 
spirit  warriors,  and  do  mimic  battle  with  them  (at  cer 
tain  seasons  and  places  on  the  borders),  by  the  phos 
phorescent  light  of  their  phantom  bodies,  or  under  the 
dim  lamps  of  the  midnight  heavens. 

In  the  above  brief  sketch  I  have  spoken  of  a  strange 
thing  which  I  myself  saw,  and  which  was  also  seen  by 
others.  The  cause  and  nature  of  it  I  do  not  pretend 
to  understand.  It  certainly  was  not  natural,  in  the 
sense  that  we  usually  speak  of  such  things,  as  are  the 
products  of  nature  in  her  usual  methods  of  operation, 
therefore,  it  must  have  been  supernatural.  That  I 
believe  it  to  have  been  supernatural  does  not  prove  me 
superstitious  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the  word;  indeed, 
in  all  ages  of  the  world,  there  has  been  a  wide-spread 
belief  in  the  supernatural,  and  that,  too,  among  some 
of  the  greatest  men  of  all  countries;  and  all  history, 


,         A    PHANTOM    ARMY.  225 

even  from  the  most  ancient  times  down  to  the  present 
day,  records  supernatural  events. 

Guizot,  the  great  French  statesman  and  historian, 
who  died  no  longer  ago  than  1874,  in  a  speech  in  1851 
(before  a  Bible  Society),  said:  "What  is  the  grand 
question,  the  chief  question,  that,  just  now,  occupies  all 
minds  ?  It  is  a  question  lying  between  those  who 
recognize,  and  those  who  deny,  a  supernatural  order, 
certain  and  sovereign,  although  impenetrable  to  human 
reason;  the  question  being  (to  call  things  by  their  right 
names),  between  supernaturalism  and  rationalism. 

"  We  want  no  statue  or  image  of  our  God  in  marble. 
It  is  a  living  God  that  we  need.  It  is  necessary  for 
our  present  and  future  salvation,  that  faith  in  the  super 
natural,  respect  and  submission  to  the  supernatural, 
should  live  in  the  world  and  in  the  human  soul;  in 
great,  as  in  simple  minds;  in  the  highest,  as  in  the  low 
liest  stations.  The  real,  efficacious,  and  regenerating 
influence  of  religious  creeds,  rests  on  this  condition; 
without  it  they  are  superficial,  and  well-nigh  useless. 

"The  sacred  books  are  the  source  whence  this 
sublime  truth  is  received  and  its  empire  established. 
They  are  the  history  of  the  supernatural  order;  the  his 
tory  of  Deity  in  man  and  in  the  world." 

All  history  is  full  of  occurrences  similar  to  that  which 
I  witnessed  at  Queenstown  Heights,  though  many  are 
even  more  wonderful.  To  begin  with,  I  will  quote 
from  Flavius  Josephus,  the  famous  Jewish  historian. 
In  his  history  of  the  war  of  the  Jews'  against  the  Romans 
(book  VI,  chapter  XXI),  he  says:  "  Shortly  before  the 
feast  of  Easter,  on  the  2yth  of  May,  an  event  happened 


226  A    PHANTOM    ARMY. 

that  I  should  fear  to  repeat,  lest  it  might  be  considered 
fabulous,  were  it  not  that  persons  are  still  living  who 
witnessed  it;  and  the  misfortunes  that  followed  con 
firmed  its  truth.  Before  sunrise  there  appeared  in  the 
air,  throughout  the  whole  country,  chariots  full  of 
armed  men,  traversing  the  clouds  and  spreading  round 
the  cities,  as  if  to  inclose  them.  On  the  day  of  Pente 
cost,  the  priests,  being  at  night  in  the  inner  temple  to 
celebrate  divine  service,  heard  a  noise,  and  afterwards 
a  voice  that  repeated  several  times:  'Let  us  go  out  from 
hence."' 

Pausanias,  the  Greek  historian,  in  his  "  Attics," 
relates  that,  four  hundred  years  after  the  battle  of  Mara 
thon,  the  neighing  of  horses  and  the  shock  of  armies  were 
nightly  heard  on  the  spot.  Pliny  says  that  during  the 
war  of  the  Romans  against  the  Cimbrians,  they  were, 
on  several  occasions,  alarmed  by  the  clang  of  arms  and 
the  sound  of  trumpets,  which  appeared  to  come  from 
the  sky.  Plutarch,  Appian,  and  other  historians,  speak 
of  the  same  kind  of  things. 

Antiochus  was  preparing  to  a  second  time  carry  the 
war  into  Egypt,  when  a  wonder  appeared.  It  is  recorded 
that  in  the  sky  appeared  men  dressed  in  cloth  of  gold, 
armed  with  lances,  galloping  like  squadrons  about  to 
charge;  even  their  casques,  bucklers,  naked  swords, 
and  lances  could  be  distinguished. 

In  the  time  of  Charlemagne,  phalanxes,  supposed  to 
be  composed  of  sorcerers,  were  seen  fighting  in  the  air. 
In  the  reign  of  Charles  the  Sixth,  battles  appeared  to 
be  going  on  at  different  times  in  the  clouds;  armed 


A    PHANTOM    ARMY.  227 

knights  encountered  one  another,  and  the  sky  was  the 
color  of  blood. 

At  the  time  of  the  Crusades,  history  is  full  of  super 
natural  appearances  in  the  heavens  and  on  the  earth 
while  battles  and  sieges  were  in  progress.  We  are  told 
that  during  the  hottest  of  the  fight  at  the  siege  of  Jeru 
salem,  Godfrey  and  Raymond  beheld  a  celestial  knight 
waving  a  buckler  on  the  Mount  of  Olives,  and  giving 
the  signal  to  the  Christian  army  to  enter  the  town, 
Michaud,  in  his  "  History  of  the  Crusades,"  says,  at 
the  battle  of  Dorykeum,  St.  George  and  St.  Demetris 
were  seen  fighting  in  the  ranks,  and  at  Antioch,  in  the 
midst  of  the  battle,  a  celestial  troop,  armed  with  flash 
ing  weapons,  was  seen  to  descend  to  the  earth  and 
mingle  in  the  fray. 

The  ancient  Greeks  and  Romans  record  similar 
prodigies.  Thus  Plutarch,  in  his  life  of  Coriolanus, 
states  that  in  the  fight  against  Tarquin,  Castor  and 
Pollux  were  seen  on  white  horses,  valiantly  fighting  in 
front  of  the  battle.  With  their  horses  "  dropping 
sweat,"  the  two  divine  heroes  then  at  once  appeared 
in  the  forum  and  announced  the  victory  to  the  people 
of  Rome.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  July  15,  the  day 
the  victory  was  gained,  was  consecrated  to  those  two 
sons  of  Jupiter. 

It  is  also  related  that  in  an  attack  on  the  Temple  of 
Delphos  by  the  Gauls,  those  barbarians  were  frightened 
by  the  apparition  of  three  shrouded  heroes  who  sud 
denly  came  out  against  them. 

Don  Dias  del  Castillo,  in  his  history  of  the  conquest 
of  Mexico  by  Cortez,  after  giving  an  account  of  a  great 


228  A    PHANTOM    ARMY. 

victory  against  immense  odds,  says  Saint  lago  appeared 
on  a  white  horse  in  the  van  of  the  battle  and  led  the 
Spaniards  on  till  the  fight  was  won.  The  writer  was  in 
the  battle,  but  did  not  see  the  saint.  He  evidently 
was  of  the  opinion  that  such  a  miracle  was  not  for  such 
eyes  as  his,  for  he  regretfully  exclaims:  "  Sinner  that 
I  am,  what  am  I  that  I  should  have  beheld  the  blessed 
apostle!  " 

I  shall  conclude  with  a  comparatively  modern  instance 
of  the  supernatural  appearance  of  armed  men  in  Scot 
land,  in  July,  1686,  in  broad  daylight,  as  related  by 
Peter  Walker  in  his  "  Lives,"  which  book  was  published 
in  Edinburgh,  in  1827.  He  says:  "  In  the  year  1686, 
in  the  month  of  July,  many  yet  alive  can  witness  that 
about  Crossford,  two  miles  below  Lanark,  especially  at 
the  Mains,  on  the  waters  of  the  Clyde,  many  people 
gathered  together  for  several  afternoons,  where  there 
were  showers  of  hats,  guns,  and  swords,  which  covered 
the  trees  and  the  ground.  Also  were  seen  companies  of 
men  in  arms  marching  in  order  upon  the  water-side;  com 
panies  meeting  companies,  going  all  through  one  another, 
and  then  all  falling  to  the  ground  and  disappearing; 
other  companies  immediately  appeared,  marching  the 
same  way.  I  went  there  three  afternoons  together,  and, 
as  I  observed,  there  were  two-thirds  of  the  people  who 
saw,  and  a  third  who  saw  not;  and,  though  I  could 
see  nothing,  there  was  such  a  fright  and  trembling  on 
those  that  did  see,  that  was  discernible  to  all  from  those 
that  saw  not.  There  was  a  gentleman  standing  next 
to  me,  who  spoke  as  too  many  gentlemen  and  others 
speak,  who  said:  'A  pack  of  damned  witches  and 


A    PHANTOM    ARMY.  22 9 

warlocks  that  have  the  second- sight!  The  devil  a  hait 
do  I  see!'  Immediately  there  was  a  change  in  his 
countenance.  With  as  much  fear  and  trembling  as 
any  woman  I  saw  there,  he  called  out:  'All  you  that  do 
not  see,  say  nothing;  for  I  can  assure  you  it  is  matter 
of  fact,  and  discernible  to  all  who  are  not  stone  blind.' 

"  Those  who  did  see  told  what  kind  of  locks  the 
guns  had,  and  their  size  and  length;  what  handles  the 
swords  had,  whether  small  or  three-barred,  or  Highland 
guards;  also  the  color  of  the  ribbons  forming  the  knots 
on  the  bonnets,  whether  blue  or  black;  and  those  who 
were  able  to  see  them  there,  for  a  time  after,  wherever 
they  went,  saw  a  bonnet  or  a  sword  drop  to  the  ground 
before  them." 

Pausanias,  in  his  account  of  the  sounds  heard  on  the 
field  whereon  was  fought  the  battle  of  Marathon,  says: 
"  All  the  curious  did  not  hear  the  noise,  while  those 
who  traversed  the  plain  unpremeditately,  heard  it  per 
fectly."  No  writer  of  antiquity  (except  Herodotus) 
has  comprehended,  in  the  same  compass,  more  inter 
esting  facts  than  are  to  be  found  in  the  works  of 
Pausanias. 

In  the  ancient  poem  of  "  Albania,"  mention  is  made 
of  the  sounds  of  battles  and  hunting  being  heard  in 
places  in  Scotland.  The  cattle  break  away,  and  of  the 
herdsmen  it  is  said: 

"Aghast  he  eyes 

The  upland  ridge,  and  every  mountain  round, 
But  not  one  trace  of  living  wight  discerns." 


230  I    RE-VISIT    MY    AUNT. 

CHAPTER    XLV. 

I      RE-VISIT      MY      AUNT MILLERITES     AND      ASCENSION 

ROBES — MORMONISM     AND      URIM     AND     THUMMIM 1 

AM    UTTERLY     DISCARDED. 

After  this  adventure  I  sickened  of  "  land  navigation." 
Having  a  few  dollars  ahead,  I  concluded  to  cross  over 
to  Buffalo  and  take  a  look  among  the  vessels  at  that 
port.  On  my  arrival  in  Buffalo,  I  thought  it  would  be 
but  civil  to  visit  Mrs.  Alice  Bardsley,  my  pseudo  aunt, 
and  explain  the  reason  of  my  departure.  Down  town 
I  happened  to  meet  my  aunt's  coachman,  who  had 
always  been  my  staunch  friend.  I  was  glad  to  see  him 
before  going  out  to  my  aunt's  house,  as  he  could  inform 
me  in  regard  to  her  condition,  and  give  me  some  idea 
of  the  kind  of  reception  I  was  likely  to  meet  with. 

Said  the  coachman:  "The  house  has  been  full  of 
preachers  since  you  left.  First  a  lantern-jawed  Miller- 
ite  was  the  favorite,  and  the  house  was  constantly  over 
run  with  cattle  of  that  style.  Your  aunt  went  so  far  as 
to  have  her  *  ascension  robes'  made,  and  took  great 
pride  in  them.  She  used  to  put  on  her  white  robes 
and  sail  about  in  them.  A  piece  of  drapery  hung  down 
the  whole  length  of  each  sleeve,  in  imitation  of  wings. 
She  had  so  often  sailed  about  flapping  of  her  wings, 
that  at  last  she  took  it  into  her  head  that  she  could  fly. 
She  went  about  half  way  up  the  stairs,  straddled  the 
rail,  turned  herself  loose,  flapping  away  with  her  wings 
at^a  devil  of  a  rate.  Half  sliding,  half  falling,  she 
landed  at  the  bottom  of  the  stairs  with  such  force  that 
she  came  near  breaking  one  of  her  poor  old  legs.  We 


I    RE-VISIT    MY    AUNT.  23! 

had  to  bring  a  doctor,  and  she  did  not  get  out  of  bed 
for  a  week.  While  she  was  in  bed  the  old  Millerite 
preacher  came.  He  told  her  that  the  time  to  go  up 
was  near  at  hand,  and  tried  to  get  her  to  make  over  all 
her  property  to  him.  That  raised  her  wrath.  She 
rang  her  bell  and  sent  for  me.  When  I  came  in  she 
said  to  him:  '  So  you  think  it  would  be  best  for  me  to 
deed  to  you  all  my  property  ?  '  The  preacher  said  it 
would.  He,  no  doubt,  thought  I  was  called  in  to  be 
sent  for  a  notary,  and  was  pleasantly  licking  his  chops 
in  anticipation.  All  at  once  your  aunt  raised  up  in 
bed  and  turned  loose.  I  cannot  tell  half  she  said,  but 
she  raked  the  fellow  terribly  for  having  the  '  last  day ' 
come  while  she  was  not  able  to  get  up,  put  on  her 
robes  and  fly  aloft  with  the  others.  She  said  it  was 
plain  that  he  wanted  to  get  away  with  her  property  and 
leave  her  behind  to  the  tender  mercies  of  the  devil, 
while  everybody  else  went  to  heaven.  Then  she 
ordered  me  to  show  the  preacher  out,  and  gave  orders, 
in  his  hearing,  to  have  him  booted  off  the  premises  if 
he  ever  again  came  inside  of  her  gate." 

I  asked  the  coachman  if  he  thought  the  old  lady  had 
at  any  time  been  in  earnest  in  her  belief  in  the  Miller 
ite  doctrine. 

"  Who  can  tell  ?  "  said  he;  "  as  much  in  earnest 
for  a  time  as  in  other  things.  She  must  have  half-way 
believed  she  could  fly,  or  she  would  not  have  jumped 
off  the  stairs  and  hurt  her  leg.  Now,  these  here  new 
fangled  Mormons  are  after  her.  A  long-haired  elder 
is  in  the  house  every  day,  telling  her  of  the  prophet 
Joe  Smith,  the  golden  plates,  and  how  the  prophet 


232  I    KE-VISIT    MY    AUNT. 

translated  them  by  looking  into  some  kind  of  peep- 
stone.  She  gives  out  that  she  will  herself  soon  become 
a  prophetess,  and  the  elder  encourages  her.  He  is 
already  gently  hinting  about  her  selling  out  and  going 
West  to  join  the  Saints." 

After  hearing  all  this,  and  much  more  to  the  same 
effect,  I  was  in  no  great  hurry  to  see  my  aunt,  yet  I 
thought  I  ought  to  go  and  thank  her  for  what  she  was 
doing  for  my  mother. 

The  old  lady  was  delighted  to  see  me.  She  called 
me  her  dear  child,  and  devoured  me  with  kisses.  She 
said  my  old  room  was  ready  for  me;  I  would  find  she 
had  kept  it  exactly  as  it  was  the  day  I  left. 

She  asked  me  to  sit  with  her  in  the  parlor,  and 
almost  at  once  began  talking  on  the  new  doctrine  of 
Mormonism.  She  gave  me  the  whole  history  of  the 
finding  of  the  plates  and  their  translation  by  Joe  Smith 
through  the  use  of  the  two  transparent  stones  called 
"  urim  "  and  f<  thummim."  She  talked  of  going  soon 
to  Kirtland,  Ohio,  and  thence  to  Nauvoo,  Illinois,  in 
which  places  she  would  appear  as  a  prophetess.  She 
had  been  dying  to  see  me,  and  had  written  scores  of 
letters  to  all  parts  of  Canada.  The  Mormon  elder 
would  be  at  her  house  that  evening;  she  had  told  him 
that  she  had  been  promised  by  an  angel — here  she 
chucked  me  under  the  chin — a  gift  of  the  "  urim," 
and  that  when  she  received  the  precious  gift,  she  would 
be  able  to  see  what  was  going  on,  not  only  in  all  parts 
of  the  world,  but  also  in  heaven  and  hell.  She  had 
promised  that  as  soon  as  she  received  the  "  urim" — 
the  wonders  of  which  had  already  been  shown  her 


I     RE-VISIT    MY    AUNT.  233 

— she  would  sell  all,  go  to  Kirtland  and  thence  to 
Nauvoo,  where  she  would  take  her  place  "  on  the 
right  hand  of  the  prophet  Smith."  She  had  even  told 
the  elder  that  the  "  urim  "  was  an  opal  of  immense 
size  and  inestimable  value,  in  the  back  of  which  was  a 
mirror  which  showed  at  once  all  one  desired  to  know, 
and  she  had  told  him,  she  said  in  a  wheedling  tone, 
that  this  wonder  had  been  shown  her  by  an  angel. 
So  saying,  she  patted  my  head. 

Of  course,  I  knew  all  the  time  what  was  coming. 
What  I  had  to  tell  her  would  be  a  terrible  blow  to  her, 
and  would  completely  demolish  all  her  fine  castles,  but 
I  made  up  my  mind  to  tell  the  exact  truth. 

Presently,  she  said:  "  The  elder  and  several  friends 
will  be  here  this  evening.  I  feel  that  I  shull  this  even 
ing  be  able  to  look  into  the  '  urim  *  and  tell  them  some 
astounding  things." 

I  said  nothing. 

"  I  shall  need  nothing  more  in  this  world  than  the 
'urim/"  said  she;  "  therefore,  before  joining  the 
prophet,  I  shall  sell  my  possessions  here,  and  all  shall 
be  yours.  Now,  my  child,"  said  she,  holding  out  her 
hand,  "give  me  the  'urim.'  You  are  made  for  life, 
and  need  it  not,  while  I  feel  that  I  have  a  mission." 

I  told  her  my  story  of  having  been  dogged  and 
robbed  of  the  talisman  by  Indians.  She  said  I  was  a 
"miserable,  ungrateful  little  liar,"  with  much  more 
to  the  same  effect.  I  protested  that  I  had  told  the 
simple  truth,  and  when  she  continued  abusing  me  I 
arose,  took  my  hat,  and  told  her  I  would  at  once  leave 
her  house,  never  again  to  enter  it. 


234  l    RE -VISIT    MY    AUNT. 

She  now  changed  her  tactics;  she  rushed  upon  me, 
and,  clasping  me  in  her  arms,  burst  into  tears.  She 
said  she  was  an  ill-tempered  old  fool,  and  begged  a 
thousand  pardons.  Next  she  said  she  would  call  her 
coach,  go  instantly  with  me  to  a  notary,  and  deed  me 
all  her  property,  the  consideration  to  be  the  talisman. 

When  I  again  assured  her  that  I  had  told  her  the 
truth — that  the  Indians  from  the  Great  Lake  region 
had  robbed  me — her  mood  again  changed.  At  first 
she  said  I  was  a  fool  to  go  among  the  Indians  with  a 
thing  of  such  value;  then  she  declared  that  I  had  once 
given  it  to  her,  and  that,  stealing  out  of  the  house  in 
the  night,  I  had  robbed  her  of  it.  I  was  a  robber; 
that  was  what  I  was.  I  had  robbed  her  of  her 
"urim!  "  and,  ringing  the  bell  violently,  she  said  she 
would  have  Julia  call  the  gardener,  and  he  should 
throw  me  out  of  the  house;  perhaps  she  would  have 
me  turned  over  to  the  police;  there -were  other  valua 
bles  in  the  house,  and  I  might  have  taken  other  things 
besides  her  "urim." 

I  said  I  would  not  wait  for  the  garde/ier,  and  at  once 
started  for  the  door.  She  followed  me  through  the 
main  hall,  abusing  me  as  a  thief  and  robber,  and,  as  a 
parting  shot,  came  out  upon  her  front  steps  and  called 
out  to  me,  as  I  was  nearing  the  gate,  that  she  had  cut 
off  my  mother's  pension.  I  made  no  reply  to  my 
blessed  old  aunt.  I  wanted  no  more  war,  and  I  saw 
that  the  gardener,  armed  with  a  grass-sickle,  was  hold 
ing  himself  in  readiness  for  me  in  the  vicinity. 

I  made  my  way  rapidly  toward  the  water-front.  I 
resolved  to  seek  out  a  tavern  I  had  formerly  visited, 


HOW    DICK    DUNSTAN    DOWNED    THE    DEVIL.        235 

and  which  I  knew  to  be  much  frequented  by  sailors, 
for  now  all  my  thoughts  were  of  goii-g  upon  the  lake  as 
a  sailor.  I  hoped  to  hear  of  Captain  Walker  and  the 
"Nancy." 


CHAPTER    XLVI. 

HOW    DICK    DUNSTAN    DOWNED    THE    DEVIL. 

I  found  the  tavern  very  readily,  as  all  the  old  tars 
knew  it,  and  was  soon  seated  in  the  midst  of  a  lot  of 
rough,  but  rather  jolly," sailor-men."  All  were  strang 
ers  to  me.  I  took  a  rather  tough  cigar  that  a  young 
fellow  offered  me,  and,  entering  into  conversation  with 
him,  found  that  he  was  well  acquainted  with  the  old 
salt  of  the  "  Nancy,"  who  had  always  insisted  that  I 
was  a  near  relation  of  "  Davy  Jones,"  if  not  the  verita 
ble  boss  of  the  brimstone  regions  himself.  He  told 
me  that  the  old  fellow's  name  was  Dick  Dunstan.  I 
was  glad  to  know  this,  for  if  I  had  ever  before  heard 
the  man's  name  I  had  forgotten  it.  When  a  man  feels 
himself  down  in  the  world,  he  rather  likes  to  know  of 
some  old  acquaintance  whom  he  can  call  by  name, 
particularly  in  a  strange  place.  I  did  not  expect  to  see 
Captain  Walker  at  the  tavern;  if  in  port  he  would  be 
at  his  own  house. 

Presently  the  young  sailor  left  me  and  I  sat  a  long 
time  moodily  gazing  about  me  without  speaking  to  any 
one.  I  was  thinking  of  going  to  some  other  place  fre 
quented  by  sailors  when  in  rolled  my  "  old  salt."  He 


236       HOW    DICK    DUNSTAN    DOWNED    THE    DEVIL. 

seated  himself  at  a  table  with  his  back  toward  me.  I 
at  once  crossed  over  to  him,  and,  slapping  him  on  the 
shoulder,  cried:  {(  Devil  ahoy,  Dick  Dunstan!  " 

The  old  man  bounded  to  his  feet  as  if  a  pistol  had 
been  fired  at  his  ear.  I  was  dressed  in  much  the  same 
clothes  as  those  worn  by  me  when  I  went  aboard  the 
"  Nancy  "  from  the  Sky-Sifter's  medicine  canoe.  The 
old  fellow  turned  pale,  and  dropped  into  his  seat  again. 

"  How  goes  it,  old  shipmate  ?  "  said  I,  cheerily. 

"  No  shipmate  o'  yours,  I  hope,"  said  he;  then  sus 
piciously  asked:  "  How  comes  it  you  know  my  name's 
Dick  Dunstan  ?  Nobody  ever  calls  me  anything  but  old 
'Tarry.'  You  never  heard  nobody  call  me  Dick  Dun 
stan." 

"  Not  to  your  face,"  said  I,  "  but  I  have  a  way  of 
finding  out  such  things." 

"  I   believes  you — you  finds  out  too  d d  much. 

Howsomdever,  I  must  say  you've  done  the  han'some 
by  Cap'n  Walker,  but  he  knows  the  price  he  paid  for 
it,  I  s'pose." 

I  said:  "  Dick,  that's  all  bosh,  but  if  £aptain  Walker 
has  been  doing  well  I'm  glad  to  hear  it." 

"Doin'  well!"  cried  the  old  fellow,  "why,  he's 
made  a  fortin.  Everything  goes  his  way.  It's  all  long 
o'  that  string.  But  I  sails  with  him  no  more — I'm  done 
with  him.  My  last  trip  with  him  up  the  lake  in  the 
'  Nancy '  let  me  out.  1  took  my  bag  out  of  his  craft 
as  soon  as  we  got  into  port.  I'm  now  in  the  brig 
*  Ontario/  Cap'n  Harvey.  I  s'pose,  if  you  or  your 
boss  had  not  run  against  old  Tarry,  you'd  among  you 
got  all  hands  of  us  the  last  trip." 


HOW    DICK    DUNSTAN    DOWNED    THE    DEVIL.        237 

I  laughed  and  said:  "  Pooh,  nonsense!  I  haven't 
been  near  the  lake  since  I  last  saw  you.  I've  been  in 
Canada — up  in  the  country." 

The  old  fellow  eyed  me  suspiciously,  and  it  took 
hard  coaxing  to  get  him  to  tell  what  happened  on 
the  last  awful  trip.  Finally,  he  said:  "  Wai',  I  s'pose 
it'll  be  no  news  to  you,  still,  I'll  tell  you,  and  two  or 
three  of  the  men  will  swear  to  it  on  a  stack  of  bibles,  if 
I  may  wentur'  to  name  sich  a  thing  in  your  presence. 

"  Wai',  as  I  told  you,  everything  has  been  goin' 
Cap'n  Walker's  way.  The  wind  is  allus  in  his  sails, 
head  which  way  he  may.  Of  course,  this  fills  his  ves 
sel  with  freight  and  his  purse  with  money.  So  it  has 
been  goin'  right  along.  Course,  we  all  know'd  this 
wasn't  nat'ral,  but  we  stood  it  till  this  last  trip,  then  we 
began  to  see  where  it  would  all  end,  and  where  we'd 
all  land. 

"  Wai',  as  I  said,  things  was  goin'  so  fine  that  we 
was  all  hands  gittin'  pretty  bad  skeered.  We'd  often 
talked  of  leavin'  and  gittin'  aboard  a  more  nat'ral  craft, 
but  we  still  held  on — temptin'  Proverdence.  A  little 
more'n  the  devil — beg  parding — would  have  had  us 
all.  We  was  only  saved  by  the  skin  of  our  teeth." 

"  Well,  what  was  it?"  cried  I,  losing  patience — 
"  wind,  a  hurricane  ?  " 

"  Wind,  no!  how  would  wind  hurt  that  craft  ? 
Wind,  no;  it  was  fire  and  the  devil!  "  blurted  the  old 
man, 

"  This  was  it:  we  was  comin'  up  the  lake  one  night, 
a  short  while  ago,  when  we  took  a  tack  toward  the 
Canada  shore.  We  kept  goin'  and  goin',  no  end  to 
the  tack.  '  Why  does  the  ole  man  keep  her  on  this 


238        HOW    DICK    DUNSTAN    DOWNED    THE    DEVIL. 

tack  so  long  ?  '  whispers  one  o'  the  men  to  me.  '  God 
knows,'  says  I.  Then  the  Cap'n  goes  down  into  his 
cabin,  sayin'  as  he  goes:  '  Keep  her  on  this  tack  an 
hour  longer.' 

"  We  all  looked  at  one  another;  it  was  awful,  but 
what  could  we  do  ?  Old  Knibbs  was  at  the  wheel,  it 
was  my  lookout  for'ard,  and  the  other  man  or  two  war 
sloshin'  about  somewhars.  All  to  once  I  saw  a  light 
ahead.  'Light  ahead!'  I  sings  out.  The  second 
mate  comes  and  says:  '  By  the  pokers!  so  there  is,  an' 
a  quare  one,  too.  It's  mighty  low,  ain't  it  ?  Too  low 
for  a  ship — must  be  in  a  boat.  May  be  a  fishing-jack 
or  some  sich  contrivance.  Keep  watch  of  it,'  says  he, 
and  goes  back. 

"  The  light  all  at  once  seemed  to  flash  up  ten  times 
bigger' n  before,  and  come  dartin*  right  at  us.  The 
blaze  was  comin'  square  up  out  o'  the  water,  and  in  the 
midst  of  the  fire  was  an  Injun  fifteen  feet  high.  He 
carried  a  big  spear,  and  had  feathers  on  his  head  a 
yard  long.  He  had  fiery  eyes  as  big  as  teacups,  and 
blue  blazes  was  a  fTyin'  out  of  his  mouth.  He  was 
comin'  right  at  the  bow  of  the  '  Nancy  '  with  his  big 
spear  in  his  hand.  I  yelled,  and  all  on  deck  ran 
for'ard.  The  mate  took  one  look,  and  went  for  the 
Cap'n,  yellin'  every  jump. 

"  Down  in  the  fo 'castle  was  an  old  musket,  loaded 
for  geese.  I  jumped  to  the  hatch,  and  told  the  men  to 
hand  me  up  the  gun,  quick.  When  I  got  the  gun,  the 
thing  wasn't  half  the  schooner's  length  ahead.  As  I 
raised  the  musket  and  took  aim,  the  Cap'n  came  run- 
nin'  up,  and  hollered,  '  Don't  shoot!  '  but  he  was  too 


HOW    DICK    DUNSTAN    DOWNED    THE    DEVIL.       239 

late.  Bang  went  the  gun,  and  down  upon  the  deck  I 
tumbled  with  the  starboard  side  of  my  head  nearly 
kicked  off.  Thar  was  half  a  pound  of  powder  and  a 
whole  double-handful  o'  goose-shot  in  the  old  musket. 
When  I  got  up  and  got  my  senses,  the  thing  was 
gone. 

"  Jack  Dobbs,  Cribby,  and  the  rest  said  that  when 
the  charge  o'  shot  struck  the  big  old  devil  he  seemed 
to  jump  two  feet  into  the  air,  then  dive  head  first  into 
the  flames  that  was  shootin'  up  out  of  a  hole  in  the 
water.  The  next  instant,  the  '  Nancy  '  sailed  over  the 
spot,  and  nothin'  more  was  Seen.  The  musket-shot 
took  the  old  feller  by  surprise,  and  he  at  once  made  a 
dive  for  the  lower  regions. 

"  Cap'n  Walker  pretended  to  be  as  skeered  as  any 
body,  a.nd  let  on  not  to  know  what  the  thing  was,  but 
sartin  sure,  his  time  was  up;  the  old  gentleman  had 
come  for  him,  and  but  for  my  flustratin'  him  with  the 
shot  he'd  tuck  him  then  and  there — the  '  Nancy'  an' 
all  hands  would  ha'  gone  down  to  the  '  locker '  in  fire 
and  smoke.  We  could  smell  brimstone  for  two  hours 
arter. 

"  Now,  where  was  you  all  this  time  ?  "  said  old 
Tarry,  eyeing  me  over.  Said  I:  "  Well,  about  that 
time  I  was  over  in  Canada,  on  Grand  River."  "  By 
G — d!  I  thought  so,"  cried  the  old  fellow;  "  this  hap 
pened  jist  off  the  mouth  of  Grand  River.  It  was  about 
the  same  spot  where  you  came  aboard  of  us  from  the 
canoe  of  the  Injun  witch.  I  see  it  all  now;  the  Cap'n 
made  that  long  tack  because  he  had  another  'pintment 
— this  time  with  the  old  one  himself." 


240  ABOARD    THE    FORTUNATE   "  NANCY.' 

I  laughed  and  told  the  old  man  I  could  easily 
explain  the  whole  matter,  but  he  would  not  hear  a 
word. 

"  Young  feller,"  said  he,  "  I've  seen  the  devil  'bout 
that  craft  before.  He  tried  to  board  me  here  in  Buf 
falo  one  night.  Now,  I  don't  know  what  you've  got  to  do 
with  all  this,  but  I've  noticed  that  always  when  the  devil 
appears  you  ain't  rar  away.  Proverably,  now,  you  may 
think  I  didn't  reco'nize  your  voice  that  night  when  you 
tried  to  slip  aboard  us  down  here  at  the  wharf?" 

"  Why,"  I  began,  "  that  was  only " 

* 'Avast  with  your  only!"  cried  the  old  fellow,  and 
he  got  up  and  bolted  from  the  place. 

— 

CHAPTER    XLVII. 

ABOARD    THE    FORTUNATE    "NANCY." 

When  old  ' '  Tarry  "  left  me  in  this  unceremonious 
way  I  soon  took  my  departure.  I  found  a  decent  lodg 
ing  that  night,  and  the  njext  morning  set  out  to  look  for 
Captain  Walker.  I  soon  found  he  was  not  in  port,  and 
was  obliged  to  wait  three  days  for  him  to  arrive.  He 
was  glad  when  I  told  him  I  wanted  to  ship  with  him. 
He  treated  me  as  if  I  had  been  a  brother.  He  said 
he  would  consider  me  as  a  passenger  and  I  should 
draw  wages  all  the  same,  taking  hold  of  work  only 
when  I  felt  like  it. 

I  told  him  I  would  have  nothing  of  the  kind;  that  I 
desired  to  learn  his  business  thoroughly,  and  that  I 


ABOARD    THE    FORTUNATE    '<  NANCY."  241 

would  go  into  the  forecastle  with  the  men,  and  expected 
to  be  treated  the  same  as  the  others,  for  anything  else 
would  make  trouble  for  both  him  and  me.  He  said  I 
was  right,  but  that  should  not  begin  until  we  left  port; 
meantime,  I  should  be  treated  as  a  visiting  friend. 

Presently  he  invited  me  into  his  cabin  and  then  told 
me  that,  on  the  trip  before,  he  had  seen  a  thing  that  had 
made  him  very  uneasy  and  had  caused  some  of  the 
men  to  leave  the  schooner.  With  that  he  began  to 
speak  of  a  giant  apparition  that  had  borne  down  upon 
him,  standing  in  the  midst  of  a  sheet  of  flame  that 
seemed  to  rise  from  the  bosom  of  the  lake. 

I  stopped  him,  and,  to  his  great  relief  and  amuse 
ment,  gave  him  the  full  history  of  the  flaming  brave, 
and  also  old  Dick  Dunstan's  account  of  the  "  Nancy's" 
meeting  with  it.  Captain  Walker  said  that  the  old 
man  did  really  blaze  away  with  an  old  musket  and 
knock  the  thing  over,  also  himself  at  the  same  time. 

Said  the  Captain:  "What  puzzled  us  all  at  the  time 
was  what  became  of  the  thing — how  it  could  wholly 
disappear  so  suddenly — but  I  now  understand  that  by 
the  time  the  smoke  of  the  musket  had  cleared  away  we 
had  run  down  the  little  raft  and  extinguished  the  fire." 

The  good  skipper  had  in  his  composition  no  small 
amount  of  real  old-fashioned  sailor  superstition.  It 
was  of  the  genuine  regulation  kind  on  all  points  that 
could  come  up.  As  he  had  never  once  thought  of  the 
apparition  he  had  seen  being  a  manufactured  article, 
he  had  been  much  worried  about  it.  He  thought  that 
at  the  very  least  it  meant  an  end  to  his  good  luck.  He 
declared  that  the  string  I  had  given  him  surpassed  any- 


242  ABOARD    THE    FORTUNATE  "  NANCY." 

thing  he  had  ever  seen  or  heard  of  in  the  way  of  a 
charm;  it  always  brought  the  wished-for  wind,  perhaps 
not  at  once,  but  still  in  very  good  time.  He  said  that 
after  some  partial  failures  he  had  hit  upon  the  plan  of 
having  his  little  girl  tie  in  the  winds  for  her  papa. 
"  She  does  it,"  said  he,  "with  her  little  prayers,  and 
when  I  untie  the  knots  and  the  little  prayers  fly  out, 
the  Sky-Sifter  herself  could  not  bring  the  '  Nancy '  a 
better  breeze." 

I  took  one  of  the  men  of  the  "  Nancy,"  and,  going 
up  town,  had  him  select  for  me  a  first-class  sailor 
outfit,  bag  and  all.  When  I  told  him  that  I  was  to  be 
his  shipmate,  he  did  not  seem  particularly  well 
pleased.  I  mentioned  this  to  the  Captain  as  a  bad 
sign.  He  said:  "  It  comes  of  old  Tarry's  talk.  The 
old  fellow,  Tarry,  is  confident  that  you  have  dealings 
with  the  evil  one,  and  he  has  seen  you  in  so  many  dif 
ferent  shapes  as  to  toggery,  and  all  else,  that  nothing 
can  drive  his  notions  out  of  his  head.  When  he  found 
out  where  we  were  in  the  lake,  at  the  time  the  fiery 
demon  made  its  appearance,  he  actually  thought  his 
shot  had  done  for  either  you  or  the  Sky-Sifter,  and 
told  the  men  so." 

Captain  Walker  then  told  me  to  take  an  early  oppor 
tunity  of  relating  to  the  men  my  adventures  among 
the  Indians,  and  my  contrivance  for  frightening  them, 
without  a  hint  that  anyone  had  informed  me  of  the 
"Nancy's  "  adventure  with  the  fiery  giant  on  the  lake. 
"Let  them  draw  their  own  conclusions,"  said  he,  "and 
they  will  then  see  what  a  simple  thing  gave  them  a 
great  fright." 


243 

That  night  I  told  the  whole  story.  They  laughed 
heartily,  and  told  me  how  badly  frightened  "  old  Tarry" 
had  been  at  the  thing,  but  not  a  man  among  them  had 
cared  a  "  chaw  terbacker  for  it."  They  had  put  it  up 
to  be  a  boat  adrift,  with  a  flaming  fishing-jack  stuck  up 
in  front.  However,  after  my  story  I  found  the  men 
more  free  and  hearty  with  me,  and  in  a  day  or  two  I 
was  quite  at  home  in  the  forecastle. 

I  made  several  trips  with  Captain  Walker  that  were 
quite  successful,  and,  though  the  wind  was  not  always 
just  right,  he  couldn't  see  it.  It  made  him  "  hot  "  to 
say  that  a  breeze  was  slow  in  coming.  "Never  you 
mind,"  he  would  say,  "the  little  girl  knows  what  she 
is  about."  All  his  good  luck  was  now  brought  about 
by  the  little  girl.  The  men  were  wont  to  joke  among 
themselves,  at  times,  about  the  "  sweet  little  girl  that 
sits  up  aloft  to  give  a  fair  wind  to  poor  Jack;"  still, 
when  she  sometimes  came  aboard  the  "Nancy,"  at 
Buffalo,  the  men  looked  upon  her  as  something  more 
than  human — she  was  their  "mascot." 

The  "  Nancy  "  had  the  name  of  being  the  luckiest 
craft  on  the  lake;  Captain  Walker  had  many  good 
offers  for  her,  and,  having  a  goodly  share  of  worldly 
wealth  in  store,  he'at  last  sold  her  at  the  earnest  solic 
itation  of  his  wife,  and  bought  a  fine  farm  in  Knox 
County,  Ohio,  near  Fredericktown,  about  sixty  miles 
South  of  Sandusky. 

When  Captain  Walker  turned  the  vessel  over  to  the 
new  owners,  I  left  her,  as  I  did  not  like  the  man  put 
in  command. 

I  soon  shipped  on  the  brig  "Ontario,"  Captain  Har- 


244  PHANTOM    SHIPS    AND    OTHER 

vey,  much  to  the  consternation  of  old  "  Tarry  "  —  Dick 
Dunstan.  A  man  who  went  with  me  from  the  "Nancy" 
gave  me  a  good  name,  and  <(  Tarry  "  cooled  down 
somewhat,  yet  he  still  muttered  on  the  sly  that  one  day 
all  hands  would  see  something  awful  happen.  We 
made  a  few  lucky  trips,  and  the  men  laughed  at 
"Tarry"  about  his  predictions,  but  he  said  the  good 
luck  was  what  most  frightened  him;  it  always  began 
that  way.  He  stoutly  maintained  that  he  had  shot  a 
genuine  fiery  devil,  and  that  the  other  version  of  the 
story  was  one  made  up  by  myself  and  Captain  Walker 
to  quiet  the  "  Nancy's  "  men.  As  he  had  told  his  story 
to  all  the  "  Ontario's"  men,  he  would  not  be  cheated 
of  his  glory. 


CHAPTER    XLVIII. 

PHANTOM  SHIPS  AND  OTHER  WONDERS  OF  THE  SEA. 

The  "  great  deep  "  is  ever  old,  yet  ever  new.  From 
the  earliest  ages  there  have  been  told  tales  of  the  sea, 
and  to-day  there  are  still  new  tales  to  be  told.  Grand 
is  what  is  said  in  the  Bible  of  the  "great  deep,"  and 
grand  is  that  line  in  which  Homer  speaks  of  "The 
innumerable  smiles  of  the  many-voiced  sea."  The 
poets  of  every  age  have  described  the  sea  in  all  its 
moods,  and  the  sailors  of  every  land  have  told  of  its 
monsters,  its  sirens,  and  its  many  marvels,  as  of  "  Ships 
dim-discovered,  dropping  from  the  clouds." 

The  Norsemen  of  old  told  of  the  "  kraken,"  a  mon- 


WONDERS    OF    THE    SEA.  245 

ster  seen  off  the  coast  of  Norway  and  sometimes  mis 
taken  for  an"  island  by  parties  who  landed  upon  it,  and 
who  were  terrified  at  finding  it  slowly  sink  or  begin 
moving  away.  Pliny  speaks  of  a  sea-monster  in  the 
Straits  of  Gibraltar  which  barred  the  entrance  of  ships. 

In  the  old  times  mariners  told  of  islands  that  seemed 
to  sail  about  like  ships,  or  float  about  like  rafts,  being 
now  seen  in  one  place  and  again  in  another.  These 
stories  were,  after  a  time,  set  down  as  mere  sailors' 
yarns,  but,  of  late  years,  the  greater  part  are  found  to 
have  been  grounded  on  truth.  Graham's  Island  came 
up  in  1861,  near  Sicily,  then  vanished.  In  1863  ^ 
reappeared,  but  soon  to  sink  from  view,  and  over  the 
spot  there  is  now  over  seven  hundred  fathoms  of  water. 
In  the  harbor  of  the  island  of  Santarini,  near  Rhodes, 
in  1866,  a  small  island  came  to  the  surface,  and  on  it 
were  two  well-preserved  houses  of  solid  masonry.  It 
was  an  old  island  that  had  gone  down  to  the  bottom  of 
the  sea,  but,  after  a  nap  of  a  few  centuries,  had  concluded 
to  come  up  and  see  how  the  world  wagged.  In  1783 
an  island,  that  was  named  Nynoe,  suddenly  rose  above 
the  sea  off  the  coast  of  Iceland,  and,  at  the  end  of  the 
year,  sank  out  of  sight.  The  same  thing  has  frequently 
happened  among  the  Azores,  and  quite  often  in  hun 
dreds  of  other  parts  of  the  world. 

In  the  lifetime  of  the  present  generation  there  have 
been  over  fifty  instances  of  islands  either  coming  to  the 
surface  of  the  sea  or  sinking  below  it,  with  several  cases 
in  which  the  same  island  performed  both  operations. 
As  this  is  seen  to  be  going  on  in  our  own  time,  it  may 
well  be  supposed  that  it  was  the  same  in  the  days  of 


246  PHANTOM    SHIPS    AND    OTHER 

the  old  Norsemen  and  prowling  Vikings.  It  is  by  no 
means  improbable  that  these  ancient  rovers  of  the  sea 
may  have  witnessed  the  coming  up  of  islands,  and  may 
have  even  been  encamped  on  some  when  they  settled 
back  into  the  depths  from  which  they  arose.  Such  a  phe 
nomenon  would  very  naturally  give  the  rovers  the  idea 
that  what  they  had  taken  to  be  an  island  was  some  lazy 
monster  of  the  deep,  whose  back  was  covered  with  sand 
and  shells.  So,  doubtless,  arose  the  story  of  the 
"  kraken,"  and  the  monster  of  the  Straits  of  Gibraltar 
was  probably  of  the  same  kind. 

However,  there  are  immense  creatures  in  the  sea — 
not  taking  account  of  whales  and  the  sea  serpent.  In 
1819  one  of  these,  a  thjng  like  a  snail  or  a  leech,  some 
rods  in  length  and  of  many  tons  weight,  was  thrown  on 
shore  near  Bombay  by  a  tidal  wave.  It  was  left  high 
above  all  ordinary  tides,  in  which  situation  it  required 
nearly  a  whole  year  for  it  to  rot  away.  The  stench 
from  the  mass  was  so  great  that  it  became  necessary  to 
alter  the  course  of  the  road  that  was  usually  traveled, 
as  no  means  could  be  thought  of  by  yyhich  the  huge 
carcass  could  be  moved  back  into  the  sea.  The  crea 
ture  at  last  rotted  wholly  away,  and  it  was  then  discov 
ered  that,  huge  as  it  was,  not  a  bone  was  left  behind. 
As  the  washing  ashore  of  this  lubberly  monster  is  well 
authenticated,  we  need  not  laugh  very  loud  or  long  at 
the  stories  the  Norwegians  tell  of  their  "  kraken." 

Again,  there  are  at  times  seen  at  sea  clouds  that  bear 
such  a  striking  resemblance  to  land  as  would  deceive 
the  "Ancient  Mariner  "  himself.  To  this  phenomenon 
sailors  give  the  name  of  "Cape  Flyaway."  Being 


WONDERS    OF    THE    SEA.  247 

blown  away  from  such  supposed  capes  or  islands,  and 
unable  to  find  them  again,  the  perplexed  navigators 
have  believed  the  land  to  have  sunk  while  they  were 
cruising  round  in  search  of  it.  These  flyaway  capes 
are  a  certain  indication  of  a  heavy  storm. 

Even  the  story  of  Sindbad,  of  the  island  of  load 
stone  which  drew  all  the  iron  spikes  out  of  the  vessel 
passing  too  near.it,  is  now  found  not  to  be  so  prepos 
terous  as  it  was  supposed  at  one  time  to  be.  At  Tris 
tan  d'Acunha,  one  of  three  islands  near  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  (the  others  are  the  Nightingale  and  Inac 
cessible),  are  such  mountain  masses  of  pure  magnetic 
iron  that  the  compasses  of  all  ships  are  affected  when 
sailing  past.  In  that  region  are  volcanoes  that  pour 
down  into  the  sea,  at  times,  lava  that  contains  a  consid 
erable. per  cent  of  iron.  When  this  lava,  as  it  floats 
on  the  sea,  reaches  a  point  near  the  iron  mountain,  all 
the  pieces  set  out  and  steer  directly  to  its  base,  where 
they  cling.  No  matter  how  often  they  are  torn  loose 
and  carried  back  by  the  waves,  they  always  return,  till 
at  last  they  are  ground  to  powder. 

Sailors  encounter  on  the  immeasurable  wilds  of  the 
ocean  many  wonderful  aerial  and  electrical  phenomena. 
Among  the  latter  are  St.  Elmo's  light,  or  corpo  santo, 
or  corposant,  all  of  which  names  are  given  by  sailors 
and  others  to  the  balls  of  electric  fire  which,  in  the 
time  of  a  storm,  often  appear  on  the  spars  of  a  -vessel. 
The  sailors  have  many  superstitions  about  these  strange 
arid  beautiful  lights.  These  lights  were  known  to  the 
sailors  in  ancient  times.  If  only  one  flame  appeared 
the  Romans  called  it  "  Helen,"  and  said  the  worst  of 


248  PHANTOM    SHIPS    AND    OTHER 

the  storm  was  yet  to  come;  to  two  or  more  lights  they 
gave  the  name  of  Castor  and  Pollux,  and  said  the  storm 
would  soon  end. 

On  the  Great  Lakes  of  America  there  may  be  fewer 
wonders  than  on  the  great  world-wide  ocean,  but  the 
dangers  are  almost  as  great,  and  the  hardships  about 
as  many.  However,  the  sailor  seldom  thinks  of  dangers 
until  they  are  upon  him.  He  has  faith  in  the  words  of 
Dibden's  old  song — 

"  There's  a  sweet  little  cherub  that  sits  up  aloft 
To  keep  watch  for  the  life  of  poor  Jack." 

The  hard  work  he  takes  as  a  matter  of  course.  One 
of  his  commandments  is — 

"  Six  days  shalt  thou  labor  and  do  all  thou  art  able, 
On  the  seventh  holy-stone  the  deck  arid  scrub  the  cable." 

His  food  is  always  coarse  and  poor,  and  too  often  he 
has  set  before  him  ancient  "  salt  horse  "  instead  of  good 
sound   beef.      On   such   occasions  he  philosophically 
accepts  the  situation,  and,  on  recognizing  an  old  ac 
quaintance  in  the  dish  before  him,  mournfully  sings — 
"  Salt  horse,  salt  horse,  I  say,  what  brought  you  here, 
From  Saccarappa  Point  to  Portland  pier?" 

But  what  I  set  out  to  relate  was  a  curious  experience  I 
once  had,  not  on  the  boundless  ocean,  but  on  Lake  Erie, 
a  sheet  of  water  only  about  two  hundred  and  forty 
miles  long  and  some  sixty  miles  wide  in  the  broadest 
parts.  Thus,  in  case  of  a  storm,  that  which  is  the 
sailor's  greatest  terror,  land,  is  ever  present  on  all  sides, 
let  the  wind  blow  from  what  quarter  it  may. 

Lake  Erie  is  noted  for  its  violent  storms,  which  often 
cause  disastrous  shipwrecks,  attended  with  fearful  loss 
of  life.  Owing  to  the  shallowness  of  the  lake  (it  aver- 


WONDERS    OF    THE    SEA.  249 

ages  only  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet,  and  two  hun 
dred  and  seventy  is  its  greatest  depth),  there  are 
liable  to  be  tremendous  ground-swells,  causing  short, 
chopping,  pitching,  and  dangerous  seas.  Also,  on 
account  of  the  small  number  of  good  harbors,  the  navi 
gation  is  peculiarly  difficult  and  dangerous.  There  is 
here  no  running  before  the  wind,  in  case  of  a  big  storm, 
for  a  day,  or  a  week,  as  in  the  wide  ocean.  Land  is 
always  at  hand  in  some  quarter,  and  "  eternal  vigilance  " 
is  the  price  of  life. 


CHAPTER    XLIX. 

WE  ENCOUNTER  A  PHANTOM  SHIP — AN  AWFUL  STORM 
GHOSTS  AND  OTHER  WONDERS "  PAUVRE  PE 
TITE!  " ALL  IS  WELL  THAT  ENDS  WELL. 

As  before  remarked,  the  "  Ontario  "  made  a  number 
of  successful  trips,  but  this  was  now  to  change.  In 
October,  1839,  we  left  Buffalo  for  Toledo  in  company 
with  a  number  of  other  vessels.  It  was  near  the  end 
of  October,  and  about  the  beginning  of  the  stormy 
season,  which  is  usually  in  November  and  December, 
on  these  lakes.  The  sky  had  an  unusually  murky 
look,  even  directly  overhead,  the  sun  at  noon  looking 
like  a  ball  of  red  fire.  It  seemed,  however,  that  the 
red.  haze  was  mostly  smoke,  and  it  was  thought  there 
were  great  forest  fires  somewhere  to  the  northward,  up 
the  lakes. 

One  old  sailor,  however,  was  very  uneasy.     He  said 


250  GHOSTS    AND    OTHER    WONDERS. 

there  was  more  fog  than  smoke  in  the  air.  He  called 
it  a  "dry  fog,"  and  said  it  meant  mischief.  He  said 
he  had  been  watching  this  dry  fog,  and  found  it  had 
been  thickening  for  two  days.  "It  is  damming  up," 
said  he. 

When  asked  what  he  meant  by  damming  up,  he 
said:  "  Why,  it  is  piling  up  between  two  winds — 
between  this  wind  from  the  north  and  one  that  is  try 
ing  to  come  up  from  the  southward.  When  that  wind 
does  come  from  off  south  it  will  tear  things.  I  don't 
want  to  be  afloat  when  the  point  of  stagnation  is  pushed 
out  over  the  lake  and  busts  up  in  a  fight  between  the 
two  winds.  I've  seed  it  do  that  business  once  or 
twice  and  I  don't  want  any  more  of  it.  Besides,  the 
rats  are  leavin'  the  brig.  I  saw  'em  at  it  last  night. 
They  was  running  along  the  cable  in  sich  a  steady 
stream  that  one  was  treadin'  on  the  tail  of  another." 

While  old  "  Bombay,"  as  we  called  the  old  salt, 
was  muttering  out  these  dismal  prognostications  to  a 
group  of  half  a  dozen  attentive  sailors,  Captain  Harvey 
had  edged  up  near  enough  to  hear  jiis  last  words. 
"What's  that  you  say  about  rats  leaving  the  brig,  you 
old  deep  sea  growler  ?  Don't  you  know  that  here  on 
the  lakes  the  rats  are  always  coming  aboard  and  going 
ashore  ?  They  visit  back  and  forth  between  the  towns. 
What  you  saw  was  only  a  lot  of  Sandusky  rats  that 
came  up  with  us  for  a  week's  visit  to  their  Buffalo 
friends.  Do  you  suppose  they  are  such  fools  as  to  be 
carried  back  to  Toledo  ?  If  you  do  it  shows  that  you 
still  have  a  good  deal  to  learn  about  the  rats  of  Lake 
Erie.  Go  below  and  take  a  snooze! " 


GHOSTS  AND  OTHER  WONDERS.         251 

Old  Bombay  turned  his  quid  in  his  cheek,  and 
slouched  forward  with  an  eye  cocked  at  the  sky. 

After  the  Captain  went  away,  one  of  the  men  said: 
"  It's  all  very  fine  to  talk  about  rats  visiting  back  and 
forth,  but  I'll  bet  a  month's  pay  that  a  squint  at  the 
barometer  this  moment  will  show  that  it  is  falling. 
The  rats  here  on  these  lakes  are  cunning  critters;  they 
are  pretty  good  barometers  themselves.  They  don't 
like  to  be  jammed  in  shifting  cargo  or  to  be  swimming 
about  below  half  drowned.  When  they  find  a  big 
storm  brewing  they  go  ashore  if  they  can  get  there." 

"Good  logic,"  said  another  man,  "and  the  Cap 
tain  knows  it  as  well  as  any  of  us." 

Next,  the  cook  came  t©  the  Captain,  and,  saying  he 
was  sick,  asked  to  lay  off  that  trip.  The  Captain  sent 
him  back  to  his  galley  with  a  flea  in  his  ear. 

Somehow  we  all  felt  uneasy.  The  very  hair  of  our 
old  cat  seemed  to  stand  on  end  with  electricity,  or 
something  else  that  was  in  the  air,  and  the  cocks  we 
had  aboard  crowed  incessantly. 

In  the  evening,  when  we  were  about  to  sail,  old 
"  Bombay  "  was  found  to  be  missing.  Two  men  were 
sent  to  bring  him  aboard.  They  came  back  and 
reported  that  they  could  not  find  him,  but  they  had 
heard  that  he  was  somewhere  up  town  "drunk  as  a 
biled  owl."  The  Captain  swore  blue  blazes  for  about 
five  minutes,  and  then  ordered  all  hands  to  make  sail. 

The  wind  was  still  blowing  from  the  north  when  we 
left  the  harbor  of  Buffalo,  but  it  did  not  appear  to 
move  the  red  haze  that  filled  the  air  a  single  inch — 
that  seemed  to  stand  still  in  spite  of  the  breeze. 


252  GHOSTS    AND    OTHER    WONDERS. 

Although  the  majority  of  us  were  mere  fresh-water 
sailors,  still,  men  of  sense  may  learn  something  on 
fresh  water — particularly  on  such  inland  seas  as  are 
our  Great  Lakes.  We  did  not  at  all  like  the  looks  of 
things — least  of  all  occasional  bright,  saffron-colored 
streaks  that  flashed  through  the  copper-hued  sky  to 
the  south  and  southwestward.  The  light  that  came 
through  these  opening  and  closing  chinks  in  the  red 
haze  was  so  bright  that  there  seemed  to  be  another  sun 
in  the  south.  This  was  strange,  as  the  real  sun  had,  for 
nearly  an  hour,  been  below  the  horizon  in  the  west. 

"What  are  you  all  staring  at,  you  moon-calves?" 
cried  the  Captain.  "Is  this  the  first  time  you  ever 
saw  a  smoky  sky  ?  I  tell  you  it  is  nothing  but  smoke 
from  some  of  the  pineries  up  along  the  lakes  !  "  As 
the  Captain  walked  away  one  of  the  men  muttered  that 
he  thought  he  knew  the  difference  between  "pine 
smoke  and  brick  dust."  Still  there  was  no  increase  of 
wind.  It  held  about  the  same.  The  next  morning 
we  were  some  distance  above  Long  Point,  near  the 
Canada  shore,  when  the  saffron  streaks  in  the  south 
west  opened  wider  than  they  had  before  been  seen. 
The  Captain  ordered  in  several  sails,  and  hardly  were 
they  in  before  the  wind  came  from  the  southwest, 
blowing  a  perfect  gale.  Yet,  with  our  reduced  sail, 
we  were  able  to  weather  it  very  comfortably. 

Some  of  the  men  said  that  after  all  it  must  have 
been  "  mostly  smoke, "or  that  it  was  a  "big preparation 
that  produced  but  little."  But  I  could  see  that  Captain 
Harvey  was  still  uneasy.  He  frequently  left  the  deck 
and  went  below  to  his  cabin.  The  steward  said  to  us 


GHOSTS    AND    OTHER   WONDERS.  253 

in  a  whisper:  '"Fraid  we's  gwine  to  ketch  de  berry 
debble  'fore  long.  Cap'n  Harvey  all  time  come  down 
to  look  at  de  barometure."  The  Captain  was  very 
uneasy.  Some  of  the  men  reported  hearing  him  mutter 
to  himself  as  he  stood  gazing  to  the  windward:  "I 
never  saw  a  thing  hold  off  so." 

Presently  he  ordered  the  carpenter  to  go  below,  with 
two  men,  among  the  cargo  and  brace  everything.  Still 
we  saw  no  change  in  either  wind  or  sky.  As  the  sun 
sank  below  the  horizon  that  evening  it  looked  as  big  as 
a  cart  wheel  and  was  as  red  as  blood.  A  little  after 
dark  the  wind  from  the  north  got  the  upper  hand.  It 
was  cold  and  misty — very  different  from  what  it  had 
been  before  and  from  the  hot  south  wind  it  was  driving 
back. 

An  old  Lake  Michigander  whispered  to  me:  "No 
pine  smoke  in  this.  I  know  the  taste  of  it — it  comes 
square  from  the  North  Pole!  The  battle  between  the 
two  winds  will  begin  before  midnight — the  battle  that 
old  Bombay  spoke  about — and  it  will  be  fought  out 
right  over  this  lake." 

The  mist  that  came  with  the  north  wind  seemed  to 
take  all  the  red  dust  out  of  the  air  and  turn  everything 
gray.  It  was  not  rain,  but  a  sort  of  thin,  wet  fog. 
Through  this  we  seemed  to  be  able  to  see  further  ahead 
than  we  had  done  before  in  the  red  haze.  Whether  it 
was  really  the  case  I  do  not  know,  as  in  an  atmosphere 
of  varying  density  it  is  extremely  difficult,  after  nightfall, 
to  tell  whether  the  red  and  green  lights  of  an  approach 
ing  vessel  are  two  hundred  yards  or  a  mile  away. 

About  nine  o'clock  at  night,  as  I  was  sitting  on  the 


254  GHOSTS    AND    OTHER    WONDERS. 

capstan-head,  Captain  Harvey  came  forward.  He 
rested  his  arm  on  the  side  of  the  capstan-head  .and 
stood  gazing  forward  into  the  gray  mist.  He  said,  as 
though  speaking  to  himself:  "  It  will  be  a  dirty  night, 
if  nothing  worse." 

The  next  instant  he  sprang  erect,  and  stamping  the 
deck,  yelled:  "Starboard  your  helm!  —  hard  a-star- 
board!" 

Before  our  eyes,  and  apparently  bearing  directly 
down  upon  us,  was  a  large  vessel  under  about  the  same 
sail  as  we  were  ourselves  carrying.  She  seemed  to 
have  come  straight  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  lake.  I 
had  been  looking  directly  forward,  where  all  was  appar 
ently  clear,  when,  without  a  moment's  warning,  and  as 
if  it  had  sprung  out  of  nothing,  the  huge  vessel — twice 
as  large  as  any.  I  had  ever  seen  on  the  lake — was  dash 
ing  at  us.  The  whole  thing  for  a  moment  seemed  to 
tower  above  us,  its  lights  twice  the  height  of  our  own; 
then,  when  we  were  holding  our  breath  for  the  grand 
crash,  all  melted  away.  We  seemed  to  pass  directly 
through  it. 

"  My  God  !  "  cried  the  Captain,  "  what  was  it  ?  Did 
you  see  that  vessel  ? " 

"  Certainly,  I  did,"  said  I,  "  and  I  thought  we  were 
gone." 

"  It  beats  me,"  said  the  Captain,  and  he  then  turned 
about  and  asked  the  man  at  the  wheel  if  he  had  seen  a 
big  vessel  pass. 

11  We  passed  no  vessel,"  said  the  man,  "  but  just  as 
you  called  out,  sir,  I  thought  I  saw  something  loom  up 
ahead.  1  was  just  going  to  '  port/  when  you  sung  out 
*  starboard.'  " 


GHOSTS  AND   OTHER    WONDERS.  255 

"  Devilish  strange!  "  said  the  Captain.  "  What  did 
she  look  like  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  didn't  see  much  shape  to  her,  but  her  lights 
looked  very  high,  and  a  little  dim,  sir." 

Two  of  the  men  who  had  been  on  deck  were  called 
up  and  questioned.  Both  had  seen  the  big  craft.  One 
said  that  when  the  Captain  called  out  to  the  man  at 
the  wheel  the  strange  vessel  went  straight  to  the  bottom 
of  the  lake;  the  other,  old  Tarry,  said  she  fell  right 
back  into  the  mist,  and  sailed  away  against  the  wind. 
Both  were  sure  that  nothing  had  passed  us. 

The  Captain  said  nothing  to  this,  but  went  at  once 
to  his  cabin.  We  all  stood  looking  at  one  another 
aghast.  In  a  moment  he  was  up  again,  and  we  heard 
him  say  to  the  first  mate:  (<  Mr.  Walters,  make  all  snug; 
the  devil  is  coming!  " 

Those  of  us  who  had  seen  the  phantom  ship  thought 
the  devil  had  already  come.  Though  the  wind  had  not 
increased  we  were  ordered  aloft  to  take  a  double  reef  in 
the  topsails. 

The  wind  was  still  from  the  north.  About  the  time 
we  returned  to  the  deck  the  whole  sky  to  the  southwest 
seemed  to  open  and  a  yellow  glare  shot  out  that  reached 
nearly  to  the  zenith.  Overhead  were  immense  inky 
clouds  that  seemed  to  be  moving  slowly  in  from  all 
quarters  and  circling  about  in  the  yellow  light. 

Just  here  a  thing  occurred  that  I  never  saw  before, 
nor  since,  on  the  lakes,  though  at  sea,  about  the  West 
Indies,  it  is  a  not  uncommon  phenomenon.  A  round 
ball  of  fire,  as  large  as  the  full  moon,  but  much  redder, 
started  from  one  big  black  cloud  and  slowly  moved 


256  GHOSTS    AND    OTHER    WONDERS. 

across  to  another.  Then  came  an  explosion  that 
seemed  to  shatter  the  whole  dome  of  heaven.  A 
moment  after  there  came  a  puff  or  two  of  hot  wind 
from  the  south,  then  there  burst  forth  from  that  quarter 
such  a  hurricane  as  made  the  whole  lake  hiss  and  boil 
like  a  pot.  The  direction  of  the  waves  was  changed, 
and  the  water  was  heaped  up  in  mounds.  There  seemed 
to  be  no  direction  to  the  waves  for  a  time — all  appeared 
to  be  dancing  up  and  down,  churning  up  the  mud  of 
the  very  bottom  of  the  lake.  Our  vessel  was  whirled 
and  tossed  to  all  points  of  the  compass,  even  with  two 
men  at  the  wheel;  besides,  in  the  first  grand  whirl  and 
commotion,  we  did  not  know  which  way  to  head,  one 
course  being  about  as  safe  as  another. 

If  any  orders  were  given  at  this  time  no  one  heard 
them.  At  last  we  were  sent  aloft  to  close  reef  topsails, 
the  rain  then  pouring  down  in  a  deluge.  The  men  at 
the  wheel  could  do  nothing  with  the  vessel,  and  we 
shipped  sea  after  sea.  One  of  these  carried  away  the 
galley  and  the  cook  with  it.  The  hurricane  struck  us 
about  midnight  and  raged  for  nearly  two  hours,  during 
which  we  could  do  nothing  but  hold  on,  so  great  and 
frequent  were  the  seas  we  had  shipped.  Then  the 
blow  ceased  as  suddenly  as  it  had  commenced,  though 
there  was  still  quite  a  gale  from  the  southward.  There 
was  still  a  yellow  glare  overhead.  This  cast  a  dim 
light  on  the  deck.  During  the  height  of  the  storm 
there  had  been  a  crash  above,  and  part  of  the  topmast, 
or  something  else  from  aloft,  had,come  down  to  the  deck 
and  lay  piled  against  the  foremast.  The  Captain,  after 
setting  a  sail  or  two  to  hold  the  brig  steady,  gave  orders 


GHOSTS   AND    OTHER    WONDERS.  257 

to  clear  away  the  wreckage  that  lay  about  the  bottom  of 
the  foremast,  then  went  below. 

In  less  than  a  minute  he  came  flying  up  from  his 
cabin,  yelling  that  the  cook  was  down  there.  This 
was  startling,  as  all  hands  by  this  time  knew  that  the 
cook  had  gone  overboard  with  his  galley. 

The  Captain  was  so  frightened  that  he  made  no 
secret  of  it,  even  before  the  men.  He  swore  that  the 
cook  or  his  ghost  was  in  the  cabin.  The  first  mate 
went  down  into  the  cabin  and  soon  came  back,  saying 
nothing,  either  living  or  dead,  in  the  shape  of  a  man, 
was  down  there. 

About  this  time,  however,  there  was  a  wild  yell  for 
ward,  and  the  men  who  had  been  set  to  clear  away  the 
wreckage  at  the  foot  of  the  foremast,  came  running  aft 
in  a  body,  old  Tarry  in  the  lead. 

'*  There  is  a  dead  woman  forward!  "  cried  old  Tarry. 

"  No,  it's  a  dead  baby,"  screamed  another. 

"  What  are  you  fools  howling  about  ? "  cried  the 
Captain,*  whose  courage  had  returned  when  assured 
that  the  cook's  ghost  had  not  taken  possession  of  his 
cabin.  "  You  cowardly  lubbers,  are  you  frightened  at 
a  bunch  of  sail  cloth  ?  Go  back  at  once  and  clear 
away  that  wreckage." 

"  There's  a  woman  there,"  said  old  Tarry.  "  I  felt 
her  hair  and  face." 

"  A  baby,"  said  the  other,  "  for  I  got  hold  of  its 
hand/' 

"  Have  you  lost  your  wits?"  cried  the  Captain. 
"You  know  there  is  neither  woman  nor  child  aboard 
the  brig.  Go  back  and  clear  away/' 


258  GHOSTS    AND    OTHER    WONDERS. 

The  men  did  not  move.  "  I'll  go  and  see  what's 
there,"  said  the  old  Lake  Michigander.  "  Go  along 
with  you,  then/'  said  the  Captain. 

In  half  a  minute  the  old  fresh-water  "salt"  came 
back,  laughing.  "  It's  nothing  but  a  dog,"  said  he, 
"  but  d n  if  I  know  how  he  got  there." 

"A  dog!  "  exclaimed  the  Captain.  "  That's  strange; 
the  only  animal  we  have  aboard  is  a  good-for-n6thing 
old  tomcat,  and  I  warrant  he's  snug  below  in  his  den. 
Is  the  dog  alive  ?  " 

"  D n  if  I  know,"  said  old  Michigan — "  I  guess 

not  very." 

"  I'll  go  and  see,"  said  the  first  mate,  and  he  went 
forward. 

In  a  moment  he  came  tearing  back  like  mad.  "A 
woman,  Captain — there's  a  woman  there!  "  The  Cap 
tain  did  not  answer.  Nobody  said  a  word.  I  heard 
some  one's  teeth  chattering,  and,  turning  to  see  who 
was  behind  me,  I  happened  to  shut  my  mouth,  when  I 
discovered  they  were  my  own. 

After  waiting  for  some  time  for  the  Captain  to  speak, 
the  first  mate  said:  "Captain,  it's  strange  and  awful, 
but  there  is  really  a  dead  woman  forward." 

"  I  heard  you,  Mr.  Walters,"  said  the  Captain; 
then,  lowering  his  voice,  he  added — "  and  I  shouldn't 
wonder  if  the  cook  isn't  down  in  the  cabin  again." 

Again  there  was  silence.  The  men  were  all  huddled 
about  their  officers,  and  there  were,  no  doubt,  some 
ghastly  faces  there,  could  they  have  been  seen.  The 
man  at  the  wheel  was  becoming  alarmed,  and  asked, 
once  or  twice,  what  was  wrong.  Some  one  growled 
out:  "Nothing,  Jim." 


GHOSTS  AND   OTHER    WONDERS.  259 

"  If  we  had  a  light,"  said  the  Captain — and  then  pro 
ceeded  no  further. 

"  I'll  go  down  into  the  cabin  and  get  one,"  said  old 
Michigan,  greatly  to  the  surprise  and  relief  of  all  hands. 

He  was  gone  some  time,  but  at  last  came  back  swing 
ing  a  lighted  lantern. 

With  the  old  fellow  and  his  light  in  the  lead,  we  all 
went  forward  in  a  body.  "  Good  God!"  cried  the  old 
sailor,  as  he  reached  the  foot  of  the  mast  and  held  down 
the  light. 

All  crowded  up,  and  there,  amid  pieces  of  spars, 
ropes,  and  other  drift,  we  saw  lying  a  drowned  woman, 
a  child,  and  a  great  dog. 

Great  was  the  wonder  of  all  present.  It  was  soon 
found  that  the  child  had  been  tightly  bound  on  the 
woman's  back,  and  that  the  woman  was  tied  securely  to 
the  body  of  an  immense  Newfoundland  dog.  All  were 
tangled  among  some  wreckage,  and  had  in  some  way 
been  washed  aboard  us  in  one  of  the  seas  we  had 
shipped,  lodging  among  our  own  wreckage  at  the  foot 
of  the  foremast. 

In  a  moment  pity  drove  the  fear  of  ghosts,  goblins, 
and  phantom  ships  out  of  all  hearts.  The  lashings  that 
held  the  woman  and  child  were  cut,  and  their  bodies 
were  tenderly  carried  into  the  cabin.  Nothing  could 
be  done  but  to  decently  compose  their  limbs,  as  both 
were  past  all  human  aid.  By  the  time  all  this  had  been 
done,  streaks  of  gray  began  to  appear  in  the  east. 
Daylight  found  us  pretty  badly  battered  and  crippled, 
both  alow  and  aloft.  We  were  in  sight  of  land,  and  by 
ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  had  managed  to  work  our 


260  GHOSTS   AND    OTHER    WONDERS. 

way  into  Port  Stanley,  a  small  place  on  the  Canadian 
shore,  about  twenty-five  miles  from  the  more  important 
interior  town  of  London. 

Great  was  the  commotion  our  arrival  created  in  the 
town.  The  dead  mother  and  child  brought  all  the 
women  in  the  place  to  the  church  to  which  we  had 
carried  the  bodies.  Even  the  dog  was  carried  there 
and  laid  in  the  porch,  for  he  had  on  him  a  collar  that 
might  help  in  the  identification  of  the  dead  mother 
and  babe.  On  the  plate  of  the  collar  was  engraved  the 
word  "Navigator."  This  was,  evidently,  we  thought, 
the  name  of  the  dog.  A  ring  on  the  finger  of  the 
drowned  woman,  who  was  young  and  beautiful,  even 
in  death,  would  also  help  in  the  identification,  as  it 
contained  some  initials;  besides,  the  ladies  who  had 
charge  of  the  bodies  would  be  likely  to  find  marks  on 
the  clothing  of  both  mother  and  child. 

As  we  lay  in  Port  Stanley  repairing  damages,  the 
strange  occurrences  of  the  previous  night  kept  the 
tongues  of  our  men  wagging,  as  was  very  natural.  That 
the  bodies  of  the  woman,  child,  and  dog-were  thrown 
on  the  deck  of  our  vessel  with  one  of  the  heavy  seas  we 
had  shipped,  seemed  the  natural  explanation  of  their 
presence,  but  this  the  old  sailors  would  not  allow. 
They  said  the  bodies  were  deposited  there  by  the  phan 
tom  ship.  They  asserted  that,  though  those  aboard 
the  phantom  ship  did  not  succeed  in  getting  the  bodies 
aboard  of  us  on  their  first  visit,  because  of  their  being 
discovered,  yet  they  were  not  to  be  thwarted;  they  had 
returned  in  the  midst  of  the  roar  of  the  hurricane,  the 
crash  of  thunder,  and  the  deluge  of  rain.  It  was  then, 


GHOSTS  AND  OTHER  WONDERS.         261 

when  all  was  uproar  and  confusion,  that  the  ghostly 
crew  had  pitched  the  bodies  aboard  the  brig.  Not  an 
old  tar  among  our  men  but  was  ready  to  swear  to  this, 
and  one  or  two — old  Tarry  of  the  number — now  began 
to  remember  having  caught  a  glimpse  of  some  such 
transaction  during  the  height  of  the  storm.  They  had 
been  a  good  deal  blinded  by  the  lightning,  but  were 
quite  sure  they  saw  the  outlines  of  a  big  vessel  along 
side  us,  and  something  pitched  from  the  strange  craft 
to  the  deck  of  the  brig.  Old  Tarry  was  ready  to 
swear  to  it. 

Toward  evening  a  small  sloop,  with  half  a  dozen 
persons  aboard,  came  down  the  lake  and  ran  up  along 
side  of  us.  Those  aboard  told  us  that  a  great  number 
of  vessels  had  been  lost,  and  the  whole  lake  was  full  of 
wreckage.  Hundreds  of  lives  had  been  lost.  They 
informed  us  that  they  were  from  a  place  further  up  the 
lake,  near  Pointe  au  Pins,  and  they  had  come  out  that 
morning  in  search  of  friends  and  fellow-townsmen  who 
had  been  across  to  Cleveland  in  a  small  schooner. 
They  feared  that  their  friends  had  been  out  in  the 
storm,  and  perhaps  they  had  been  wrecked.  Had  we 
seen  anywhere  a  little  schooner  called  the  "  Navigator  ?  " 

Our  Captain  told  them  we  had  seen  no  craft  bearing 
that  name.  "But,"  said  he,  "we  found  a  dog  that 
has  the  word  'Navigator'  engraved  on  his  collar," 
and  he  then  began  to  tell  the  strange  story  of  the 
woman,  child,  and  dog  being  washed  aboard  the  brig. 

When  the  Captain  began  to  describe  the  dress  and 
appearance  of  the  woman  and  child,  an  old  man  stand 
ing  among  those  on  the  deck  of  the  sloop  began  to  tear 


262  GHOSTS   AND    OTHER    WONDERS. 

his  grey  locks  and  beard.  "  Mon  Dieu  !  Mon  Dieu  !  " 
cried  he — "Mon  Dieu,  Celeste!  Mon  Dieu,  Celeste, 
pauvre  petite  !" 

One  of  the  men  on  the  sloop  told  the  Captain  of 
our  brig  that  the  big  dog  belonged  to  the  schooner 
they  were  in  search  of.  "As  for  the  poor  lady  and 
child/'  said  he,  "  well,  we  may  guess,"  and  he  slightly 
inclined  his  head  toward  the  sobbing  old  man. 

A  plank  was  put  out  from  the  sloop,  and  two  young 
men  led  the  weeping  old  gentleman  ashore,  in  order 
to  go  up  to  the  church  to  see  the  bodies.  "  Mon 
Dieu!  Mon  Dieu!  Mon  Dieu!  Celeste,  pauvre  petite!  " 
moaned  the  poor  old  man  at  every  step  he  took. 

The  men  who  remained  on  the  sloop  said  the 
drowned  woman  and  child  were  doubtless  the  daughter 
and  granddaughter  of  the  weeping  old  Frenchman. 
His  son-in-law,  an  American,  formerly  of  Cleveland, 
was  owner  of  the  schooner  "Navigator."  He  had 
taken  his  wife  on  his  last  trip  that  she  might  make  a 
short  visit  to  his  people,  as  they  had  not  yet  seen  his 
little  daughter  and  first-born  child. 

With  the  assistance  of  workmen  from  the  shore  we 
had  repaired  damages  by  midnight,  when  we  at  once 
put  to  sea,  Captain  Harvey  being  anxious  to  reach 
Toledo,  distant  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  miles,  as 
soon  as  possible. 

The  wind  was  fair  and  the  lake  no  longer  rough  as 
we  sailed  out  of  Port  Stanley.  There  was  a  small 
moon,  and  the  storm  having  cleared  the  atmosphere  it 
was  fairly  light.  There  were  still  lights  in  the  church 
and  we  could  hear  singing  as  we  left  the  little  harbor. 


GHOSTS    AND    OTHER   WONDERS.  263 

After  we  had  laid  our  course  up  the  lake  we  saw 
much  floating  wreckage  and  were  obliged  to  keep  a 
bright  look-out  ahead.  About  three  o'clock  in  the 
morning  I  was  awakened  by  an  unusual  shouting  and 
tramping,  and  a  moment  after  the  second  mate  came 
thumping  at  the  forecastle,  shouting:  "All  hands  on 
deck  !  "  We  found  the  brig  hove  to  and  men  getting 
out  a  boat.  Nearly  a  beam,  and  only  about  one  hun 
dred  yards  away,  we  could  see  a  small  dismasted  vessel 
with  her  deck  almost  on  a  level  with  the  water. 

We  were  told  that  a  man  had  hailed  the  brig  from 
the  wreck  and  they  were  getting  out  the  boat  in  order 
to  bring  him  off.  The  Captain,  who  was  looking 
through  his  glass,  said  he  could  see  a  man  standing 
by  the  stump  of  one  of  .the  masts.  Our  men  soon 
had  him  aboard  the  brig,  and  there  was  not  much  time 
to  spare,  as  the  water-logged  wreck  was  in  a  sinking 
condition.  Her  stern  was  already  under  water,  but 
her  bow  was  tilted  up  three  or  four  feet. 

Almost  as  soon  as  the  boat  reached  the  brig's  side 
our  men  cried  out  :  "  It's  the  *  Navigator' — the  little 
schooner  from  which  the  woman,  child,  and  dog  were 
lost!" 

Although  the  young  sailor  who  was  rescued  was  a 
good  deal  exhausted,  he  was  soon  able  to  satisfy  our 
curiosity.  His  story,  in  a' word,  was  that  most  of  the 
crew  went  over  with  the  masts.  The  man  at  the 
wheel  was  washed  overboard.  The  Captain,  who  was 
also  the  owner,  went  next.  Another  man  was  knocked 
over  and  one  went  crazy,  apparently,  and  jumped  over 
board.  The  young  sailor  was  then  left  alone  with  the 


264  GHOSTS    AND    OTHER    WONDERS. 

Captain's  wife  and  child,  and  the  dog.  He  did  not 
know  the  whereabouts  of  the  vessel,  but  thought  she 
must  soon  go  ashore  somewhere  on  the  Canada  side. 
He  thought  that  by  keeping  her  out  of  the  troughs  of 
the  waves  and  headed  before  the  wind,  she  would,  in  a 
short  time,  beach  herself  somewhere.  He  knew  the 
lady  to  be  an  expert  swimmer,  therefore,  he  strapped 
her  child  on  her  back,  tied  a  line  about  the  dog's 
chest  and  securely  knotted  the  other  end  about  the 
woman's  waist. 

This  done,  he  stationed  her  by  the  stump  of  the 
foremast,  telling  her  to  hold  on  there  till  the  schooner 
struck,  when,  if  she  were  washed  over,  the  big  New 
foundland  dog  would  tow  her  ashore,  even  though 
unable  to  do  much  swimming  herself.  The  young 
man  then  went  to  the  wheel  to  try  to  keep  the  craft 
properly  headed;  but,  water-logged  as  she  was,  he 
could  do  little  with  her.  The  waves  seemed  tumbling 
in  in  all  directions.  The  rolling  little  craft  got  into 
a  trough;  a  sea  was  shipped;  he  heard  a  shriek,  and, 
running  forward,  found  that  woman,  dog  and  all  had 
disappeared — had  evidently  been  washed  overboard. 
Such  was  the  story  of  the  young  sailor,  and  we  saw 
no  reason  to  doubt  its  truth.  Before  reaching  Toledo 
we  saw  much  wreckage,  but  found  no  more  castaways 
to  rescue.  At  Toledo  we  heard  many  frightful  tales  of 
the  destructiveness  of  the  storm,  and  saw  many  people 
mourning. 

When  we  got  back  to  Buffalo,  and  had  a  little  lei 
sure,  the  old  Lake  Michigander  and  I  one  day  took  a 
stroll  up  town.  In  about  the  first  "rum-pit"  we 
entered  we  found  old  "  Bombay." 


GHOSTS    AND    OTHER    WONDERS.  ;        265 

The  old  salt  promptly  acknowledged  that  he  deserted 
because  he  feared  a  big  storm  on  the  lake.  Out  in 
the  ocean,  where  was  plenty  of  sea-room,  he  said 
he  "  would  not  have  cared  a  rap  for  it,"  and  he  roared 
out — 

*'  But  sailors  are  born  for  all  weathers- 
Great  guns,  blow  high,  blow  low; 
Our  duty  keeps  us  to  our  tethers, 

And  where  the  wind  drives,  we  must  go." 

By  the  time  we  had  finished  our  account  of  the 
phantom  ship  and  the  other  wonders  that  befell  us, 
"the  old  man  of  Lake  Michigan"  began  to  be  merry, 
and  he  rumbled  out — • 

"  The  storm  came  on  thicker  and  faster, 
And  black  just  as  pitch  was  the  sky, 
When  truly  a  doleful  disaster, 

Befell  my  poor  shipmates  and  I." 

Curiously  enough,  that  which  seemed  most  to  im 
press  old  "  Bombay  "  was  the  Captain  having  seen  the 
ghost  of  the  cook  in  his  cabin. 

He  said  he  was  once  aboard  a  vessel  that  sailed 
from  Newcastle-on-Tyne.  Very  soon,  the  cook  died. 
A  few  days  after  his  funeral,  the  second  mate,  and  all 
hands  who  were  on  deck,  saw  the  cook  walking  ahead 
of  the  vessel.  There  was  no  mistake;  it  was  the  cook — 
gait,  dress  and  all.  The  second  mate  was  as  badly 
frightened  as  the  men.  He  ran  down  to  the  cabin  and 
told  the  Captain  that  the  cook  was  walking  ahead  of 
the  vessel,  and  all  the  crew  were  on  deck  to  look  at 
him. 

Being  annoyed  at  being  disturbed  in  his  nap  by  such 
a  story,  the  Captain  told  the  second  mate  to  go  back 
and  steer  the  ship  toward  Newcastle,  that  they  might 
see  which  would  first  reach  the  port. 


266  GHOSTS    AND    OTHLR    WONDERS. 

However,  the  Captain  went  on  deck.  He  took  a 
look  at  the  object  towards  which  all  hands  were  star 
ing.  He  seemed  quite  thunderstruck.  He  was  as 

pale  as  a  ghost.  "If  it  ain't  the  cook,  d n  my  eyes," 

said  he. 

Seeing  the  Captain  knock  under,  there  was  a  regular 
panic.  Every  man  dropped  his  work.  Even  the  man 
at  the  wheel  let  go  the  spokes  and  came  forward,  when, 
had  it  not  been  almost  a  calm,  the  vessel  might  have 
got  into  trouble. 

As  all  were  gazing,  the  cook  took  off  his  cap,  made 
a  bow,  and  went  down  out  of  sight.  "To-day," 
said  old  Bombay,  "folks  at  Newcastle  will  tell  you 
how  the  cook  was  seen  walking  on  the  water." 

"About  the  ghost  of  your  Newcastle  cook  I  don't 
pretend  to  know,"  said  the  old  Michigander,  "but  I 
do  happen  to  know  about  the  ghost  that  Captain  Har 
vey  seed  in  his  cabin;  but  you  must  promise  to  keep 
shady." 

We  promised  to  say  nothing. 

"Well,  boys,"  said  he,  "I  was  the-ghost  the  Cap 
tain  seed.  I  knowed  he  seldom  kept  his  grog-case 
locked,  and  I  had  slipped  down  there  to  get  a  nip  to 
take  the  chill  of  the  storm  out  of  me. 

"I  wear  a  cap  like  one  the  cook  wore  when  off 
duty,  and  am  of  about  the  same  build,  so  at  a  back 
view  I  look  a  little  like  the  cook  did. 

"  But  what  got  the  Captain  was  this:  You  know  the 
cook  had  the  asthma  and  was  given  to  strange  wheez- 
ings  and  whistlings  in  the  throat.  Well,  I  had  just 
swallowed  a  monstrous  dose  of  rum  when  the  Captain 


GHOSTS    AND    OTHER    WONDERS.  267 

came  into  the  cabin.  It  was  almost  strangling  me.  I 
wanted  to  cough,  but  didn't  dare  do  it.  I  tried  to 
smother  the  cough,  when  it  came  out  between  my 
teeth  in  just  such  a  wheeze  as  the  cook  used  to  make. 
That  settled  it  with  the  Captain  and  he  dashed  away 
like  mad. 

"  I  didn't  know  what  to  make  of  his  running  away 
like  that  just  when  I  thought  I  was  in  danger  of  losing 
my  scalp,  but  of  course  I  slipped  out  of  there  without 
loss  of  time.  When  I  was  safe  on  deck  it  was  meat 
and  drink  for  me  to  hear  the  Captain  telling  about  the 
ghost  of  the  cook." 

"I  can  understand  now/'  said  I,  "why  you  were  so 
bold  and  ready  to  go  into  the  cabin  for  the  lantern." 

1 '  Well,  I  wanted  another  suck  at  the  bottle  and  I 
got  it.  The  ghosts  of  all  the  cooks — good  God!  look 
there!  "  and  old  Lake  Michigan  tried  to  dive  under  the 
table  at  which  we  were  seated. 

Old  Bombay,  though  usually  red  as  a  turkey  cock, 
turned  white,  and  I  felt  cold  chills  about  the  heart, 
for  marching  straight  up  to  our  table  came  the  cook ! 
lie  had  been  picked  off  some  wreckage  the  morning 
after  the  storm,  and  had  been  in  Buffalo  two  or  three 
days  nursing  his  bruises  and  recuperating. 

Seeing  our  cook  still  in  the  land  of  the  living,  old 
Bombay  whispered  in  my  ear:  "As  for  the  Newcastle 
cook  that  walked  on  the  water,  do  ydu  know  that 
before  we  quit  the  spot  we  found  that  the  ghost  was 
only  a  piece  of  the  top  of  a  mast  that  went  bobbing 
along  before  us.  Devil  a  thing  else." 

And  now  I  may  say  that  a  probable  explanation  of 


268  GHOSTS    AND    OTHER    WONDERS. 

the  miracle  of  my  phantom  ship  may  be  found  in  the 
phenomenon  of  the  <J  Spectre  of  the  Brocken,"  in  the 
Hartz  Mountains.  It  was  the  greatly  magnified  image  of 
our  own  vessel  thrown  for  a  moment  upon  a  passing  cloud 
of  mist.  Such  images  are  at  times  thrown  upward  to 
clouds  half  a  mile  or  more  in  height.  Following  is  an  in 
stance:  In  the  old  colonial  days  of  America,  a  certain 
ship  was  anxiously  expected  from  England.  On  a  Sun 
day  afternoon,  after  a  great  storm,  she  was  seen  floating 
in  the  air.  Every  spar  was  so  clearly  represented  that 
there  was  no  question  of  the  identity  of  the  vessel  thus 
painted  in  the  clouds;  but  that  was  the  last  that  was 
ever  seen  of  the  ill-fated  ship. 

Old  "  Tarry  "  took  his  bag  and  left  the  «  Ontario  " 
as  soon  as  we  reached  Buffalo.  He  reminded  Captain 
Harvey  and  all  hands  that  he  had  foretold  what  would 
happen  to  any  craft  on  which  I  sailed — sooner  or  later 
awful  things  would  be  seen.  He  said  that  though  I 
might  not  be  the  old  boss  devil  himself,  it  was  quite 
plain  that  I  was  his  "first  mate."  No  money  would 
have  hired  him  to  ship  in  the  same 'vessel  with  me, 
and  even  ashore  he  gave  me  a  wide  berth,  bawling  out 
"  Avast  !  "  the  moment  he  saw  me,  and  taking  a  dif 
ferent  tack.  In  his  opinion  I  was  responsible  for  the 
appearance  of  the  phantom  ship  and  for  all  else  that 
happened  the  night  of  the  storm.  Indeed,  so  frightened 
was  the  old  fellow  that  he  left  the  lakes  and  went  back 
to  the  ocean,  swearing  that  was  the  only  safe  place. 


I    RESUME    SAILOR     LIFE.  269 

CHAPTER  L. 

MY    AUNT    DEVELOPS    THE      "GIFT     OF     TONGUES,"    AND 
IS    CAPTURED    BY    THE    MORMONS —  I    RESUME     SAILOR 

LIFE EXPERIENCE      AS      A     FUR    TRADER      ON      LAKE 

SUPERIOR. 

I  remained  nearly  a  fortnight  in  Buffalo  waiting  for 
Captain  Harvey  to  secure  a  cargo  to  his  liking.  Hav 
ing  more  time  at  my  disposal  than  for  a  considerable 
period  previously,  I  spent  a  day  or  two  about  the  city, 
hoping  somewhere  to  come  upon  Tom,  my  pseudo 
aunt's  coachman,  for  I  was  curious  to  learn  how  the 
old  lady  was  getting  on  and  what  was  her  latest  freak. 
After  the  summary  dismissal  I  had  suffered  at  the  old 
woman's  hands,  I  felt  no  inclination  to  again  darken 
the  door  of  her  castle.  A  letter  from  my  mother  had 
informed  me  that  her  monthly  allowance  had  been  cut 
off,  therefore  I  saw  that  the  threat  the  fiery  old  crea 
ture  made  at  the  time  of  my  abrupt  departure  from 
her  mansion  was  not  an  idle  one. 

At  last  I  found  Tom  at  a  large  livery  stable,  where 
he  had  a  good  position.  He  informed  me  that  Mrs. 
Bardsley  had  not  escaped  the  Mormons  as  easily  as 
she  had  rid  herself  of  the  Hitlerites.  In  the  old  Mor 
mon  elder  she  had  found  more  than  her  match.  As 
Tom  expressed  it — "  The  elder  thundered  her  blind  " 
with  the  new  doctrine  and  the  wrath  to  come  upon 
all  except  God's  chosen. 

In  short,  I  learned  from  Tom  that  besides  the 
"thundering  "  he  did  himself,  the  elder  brought  to  the 
attack  half  a  dozen  "  Saints,"  male  and  female;  in 


270  I    RESUME    SAILOR    LIFE. 

fact  that  they  turned  the  house  into  a  sort  of  taber 
nacle,  and  at  last  quite  captured  the  old  lady  when 
they  made  her  believe  that  she  had  the  "gift  of 
tongues,"  the  elder  translating  the  nonsensical  sounds 
she  uttered,  and  declaring  that  it  was  a  language 
spoken  before  the  deluge.  The  old  lady  was  hailed  by 
all  the  Saints  as  a  prophetess.  Being  thus  established 
she  would  gabble  for  an  hour  on  the  slightest  provoca 
tion. 

Being  now  an  acknowledged  seeress,  God's  chosen 
people  could  not  get  on  without  her — she  had  become 
"  an  instrument  for  the  salvation  of  souls."  As  the 
Saints  were  to  be  guided  by  the  revelations  she  made 
for  their  good,  when  speaking  in  the  tongue  of  the 
Mighty  One  who  had  been  on  the  earth  before  the 
flood  (perhaps,  as  Tom  suggested,  the  devil),  it  would 
be  necessary  for  her  to  go  to  Nauvoo,  and  to  go  there 
it  would  be  necessary  for  her  to  turn  into  cash  all  her 
Buffalo  possessions. 

The  "gift  of  tongues"  appeared  to  be  to  the  old 
lady  as  big  a  card  as  the  "  urim  "  for  which  she  had 
so  thirsted.  It  was  true,  however,  that  she  was 
obliged  to  depend  upon  the  elder  for  the  translation  of 
what  she  said.  Presently  the  elder,  in  his  translation, 
declared  that  the  ''Mighty  One  "  said  his  mouth-piece 
must  sell  all  and  go  forth  to  comfort  the  chosen  of  the 
new  Zion.  This,  as  Tom  said,  was  "  a  clincher." 
Forced  to  the  brink,  the  old  lady  took  the  plunge;  she 
sold  all  and  went  West  with  the  elder  and  his  little 
flock.  With  her  the  old  woman  took  most  of  her 
household,  the  elder  "  splicing  "  Julia  and  the  gardener 
when  they  were  on  the  eve  of  departure. 


I    RESUME    SAILOR    LIFE.  271 

Tom  had  heard  nothing  from  any  of  the  party  after 
they  left  Buffalo.  A  "  dead-set  "  had  been  made  at 
him  by  the  elder  and  others  of  the  Saints,  both  male 
and  female,  but  he  fought  shy  of  them,  "  forting  up  " 
in  the  stables;  and  when  they  began  to  besiege  him 
there  with  hymns  and  exhortations,  he  threw  up  his 
position  of  coachman  and  left  the  place.  Tom  was 
inclined  to  believe  that  the  war  was  designedly  carried 
into  his  stronghold,  as  he  said  he  noticed  that  as  soon 
as  he  was  driven  forth  the  elder  "  mounted  the  box 
and  handled  the  ribbons." 

It  was  plain  to  me  that  Mrs.  Bardsley  cared  very 
little  about  the  Mormon  religion.  She  was  taken  with 
the  notion  of  being  revered  as  an  oracle  or  priestess, 
and  that  of  speaking  in  unknown  tongues,  and  the 
elder  had  struck  while  the  iron  was  hot. 

There  being  nothing  to  confine  me  to  Buffalo,  I  now 
for  several  years  made  my  headquarters  at  various  ports 
on  Lake  Erie,  for  after  a  trip  or  two  I  left  the  "  Ontario  " 
and  Captain  Harvey  to  go  on  vessels  trading  in  the 
upper  lakes.  I  did  this  in  order  to  see  new  regions 
and  because  the  pay  was  better;  also,  I  again  began  to 
wish  to  see  some  of  my  old  Indian  friends,  par 
ticularly  the  Sky-Sifter,  my  foster-mother.  I  had  no 
desire  to  see  her  daughters,  however,  for  I  was  sure 
that  they  had  done  much  to  harm  me.  At  no 
place  on  Lake  Michigan  could  I  hear  of  such  people 
as  I  described,  though  I  saw  many  Indians.  One  or 
two  of  these  had  heard  of  the  fleets  of  canoes  I 
described,  and  these  were  of  the  opinion  that  the 
people  they  carried  had  gone  northward  into  Lake 


272  I    RESUME    SAILOR    LIFE. 

Superior.  Finding  at  last,  one  season,  a  schooner  that 
was  going  up  into  Superior  on  a  trading  trip,  I  bar 
gained  to  go  in  her,  the  owner  agreeing  to  allow  me  to 
do  a  certain  amount  of  trading  in  furs  on  my  own 
account. 

This  trip  proved  both  pleasant  and  profitable,  and 
while  making  it  I  saw  many  Indians  at  the  various 
points  where  we  stopped  to  trade.  Although  the  lan 
guages  of  the  tribes  I  saw  were  strange  to  me,  I  found 
my  knowledge  of  the  Indian  sign  language  of  great  use; 
but  much  more  useful  were  my  "medicine  grips"  and 
signs,  for  these  at  once  won  the  hearts  of  those  among 
the  chiefs  and  leading  men  who  were  of  the  initiated 
and  understood  them.  All  these  at  once  called  me 
brother.  As  I  still  kept  my  ''totem,"  I  showed  it  to 
some  of  the  chiefs,  and  explained  to  them  (for  all  could 
speak  in  broken  English)  how  I  came  to  wear  it,  and 
that  I  was  a  Mohawk.  They  knew  of  the  Mohawks, 
and  where  they  lived.  Word  was  soon  passed,  in  every 
place,  that  I  was  a  Mohawk  and  a  "  turtle;  "  then  I 
found  myself  everywhere  called  the  I'  White  Turtle." 
All  who  had  the  same  totem  (the  turtle)  at  once  claimed 
me  as  a  brother. 

This  was  of  great  advantage  to  me  in  trade.  All 
wanted  to  trade  with  me,  and  I  was  soon  up  to  my 
limit  in  my  purchases.  The  owner  of  the  schooner  had 
seen  how  things  were  going.  He  would  not  permit  me 
to  cease  the  traffic,  but  made  me  his  trader  at  a  good 
per  cent.  This  gave  me  so  much  prominence  that  in 
the  eyes  of  the  Indians,  at  all  the  towns  and  posts,  I 
was  the  owner  of  the  schooner  and  all  else.  The  fact 


I  RESUME    SAILOR    LIFE.  273 

that  I  gave  a  medicine  feast  at  all  places  where  there 
were  many  Indians,  before  opening  trade,  also  did  a 
good  deal  to  strengthen  this  notion.  As  this  arrange 
ment  was  immensely  to  the  advantage  of  the  real  owner, 
he  was  well  satisfied  to  be  temporarily  thrown  into  the 
background. 

At  all  places  I  inquired  of  the  leading  medicine  men 
for  news  of  the  Sky-Sifter,  but  could  learn  nothing 
definite  until  we  arrived  at  the  little  town  of  Fond  Du 
Lac,  on  the  St.  Louis  River,  some  twenty  miles  up  from 
where  it  enters  Lake  Superior.  There  I  found  a  medi 
cine  man  who  could  tell  me  something,  though  he  did 
not  know  my  foster-mother  by  the  name  of  "  Ga-on-ye- 
was,"  the  Sifter  of  the  Skies,  or  any  of  her  people  by 
names  familiar  to  me.  He  knew  of  the  two  fleets  of 
canoes  and  the  many  people  they  carried,  and  said  the 
leaders  were  great  chiefs  and  medicine  men.  They 
went  to  all  the  mounds  and  sacred  places  about  the 
lakes,  and  for  a  year  or  two  made  many  grand  medicine 
feasts  in  a  big  medicine  lodge  that  they  carried  with 
them.  Their  medicine  was  better  than  that  of  any  of  the 
great  men  on  the  lakes.  He  had  not  seen  these  people, 
but  he  had  heard  that  they  lived  always  among  the 
islands  of  the  lakes.  Last  season  they  had  all  gone 
away,  far  away  from  the  lakes  toward  the  northwest. 
He  had  heard  they  were  going  to  the  great  Mac 
kenzie  River — nobody  knew  where — it  was  a  great 
mystery.  They  had  much  money  and  bought  many 
ponies,  going  away  with  a  train  of  three  thousand,  he 
had  been  told. 

I  could  learn  nothing  more  from  the  man.     When 


274  *    RESUME    SAILOR    LIFE. 

pressed  for  further  news  he  could  only  say  that  it  was 
"a  great  mystery,"  that  the  people  lived  in  the  islands, 
and  of  all  those  who  went  to  their  big  medicine  lodge 
not  one  was  left  in  the  country — they  all  went  away  to 
the  northwest  to  the  Mackenzie  River.  Some  had 
said  they  were  going  to  cross  the  big  water  at  a  narrow 
place  and  go  to  some  other  world — it  was  a  great 
mystery,  and  it  was  said  they  had  dug  up  and  carried 
away  many  things  that  had  been  buried  on  the  tops  of 
the  mounds. 

To  obtain  the  information  briefly  presented  above 
required  an  arduous  session  of  over  two  hours  with  my 
"  red  brother.  "  I  could  learn  nothing  more  of  my 
foster-mother  at  any  place  on  the  lakes,  though  many 
had  heard  of  what  they  called  a  "  medicine  tribe  "  of 
Indians  on  the  islands.  With  most  of  the  Indians 
there  are  several  large  islands  that  are  "  bad  medicine  " 
— no  ordinary  Indian  could  be  hired  to  land  on  such 
an  island. 

The  schooner  did  so  well  on  this  trading  trip  that 
her  owner  was  very  anxious  to  have  me  return  another 
season  and  repeat  it.  At  first  I  would  not  promise, 
but  when  he  told  me  that  in  case  of  our  doing  as  well 
on  a  second  trip  I  should  be  made  half  owner  of  the 
schooner  on  our  return,  I  agreed  to  go  cut  a  second 
time.  However,  the  trip  was  never  made,  as  my  friend, 
the  owner  of  the  schooner,  died  that  winter  of  small 
pox,  contracted,  as  some  thought,  from  some  of  the  furs 
he  handled,  a  story  I  never  believed. 


OFF    FOR    CALIFORNIA.  275 

CHAPTER  LI. 

GOLD    DISCOVERED — OFF     FOR    CALIFORNIA — MY    PARTY 

THE      BURNING      OF      THE      STEAMER     "  BELLE      OF 

THE    WEST  " — A    NARROW    ESCAPE. 

I  had  now  been  knocking  about  on  the  lakes  for 
several  years  and  was  beginning  to  be  very  tired  of  the 
life  of  a  sailor  when,  as  though  for  my  special  benefit, 
the  great  California  gold  excitement  broke  out,  and 
nothing  else  was  to  be  heard  of  among  sailors  or  any 
other  class.  All  began  to  lay  plans  for  a  trip  to  the 
land  of  gold  on  the  far  away  shores  of  the  Pacific,  at 
the  same  time  gathering  and  treasuring  up  every  item 
of  news  that  came  from  the  gold  fields.  Some  of  us 
even  went  so  far  as  to  spend  considerable  time  in  the 
pleasing  task  of  making  a  lot  of  buckskin  bags  in  which 
to  stow  away  the  pounds  on  pounds  of  gold  we  were 
sure  it  would  be  our  fortune  to  find.  Everything  had 
a  golden  hue,  even  to  boarding-house  butter. 

Let  the  reader  imagine  the  journey  to  California 
decided  upon,  all  preliminary  arrangements  made,  and 
leave-takings  with  friends  in  Canada  over.  Buffalo  is 
the  appointed  place  of  meeting  for  those  who  are  to 
constitute  my  party.  In  that  city  we  assembled  on  the 
seventh  day  of  April,  1850.  As  some  of  these  old 
comrades  are  doubtless  still  alive,  I  will  here  record 
their  names.  They  were  Robert  Chalmers,  John  S. 
Ferrier,  John  Ames,  James  McColough,  Perry  Wiggins, 
Sand  Hopkins,  and  M.  Morton,  making,  with  myself,  a 
company  of  eight  men,  all  Canadians. 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  give  a  detailed  account  of  our 


276  OFF    FOR    CALIFORNIA. 

trip  to  the  California  gold  fields,  though  I  have  a  jour 
nal  of  our  progress  from  day  to  day,  with  a  description 
of  the  country  passed  through  (as  it  then  appeared),  with 
a  history  of  all  our  adventures,  trials,  and  tribulations. 
A  few  things  may,  however,  be  worthy  of  being 
recorded  here. 

Almost  at  the  outset  of  our  journey  we  narrowly 
escaped  being  burned  alive.  Going  down  the  Ohio 
River  we  were  passengers  on  the  ill-fated  steamer,  the 
11  Belle  of  the  West,"  which  was  destroyed  by  fire. 
Fortunately,  we  were  in  the  upper  cabin,  and  all 
managed  to  get  forward;  thus,  when  she  grounded  on 
the  bank  for  which  she  was  steered,  we  got  safe  ashore, 
though  with  the  loss  of  part  of  our  baggage. 

The  burning  of  the  boat  was  an  awful  scene.  Nearly 
one  thousand  persons  were  either  burned  alive  or 
drowned.  The  fire  having  originated  in  the  hold  of 
the  vessel,  they  first  lifted  the  after  hatch  in  an  attempt 
to  reach  and  extinguish  it;  failing  in  this,  they  tried 
the  forward  hatch,  and  the  air  thus  reaching  the 
hitherto  half-smothered  mass  which  had  been  ignited, 
the  whole  central  part  of  the  vessel  was  speedily  in  a 
blaze.  When  this  vast  column  of  flame  was  belched 
heavenward,  as  from  the  crater  of  a  volcano,  all  who 
had  been  too  late  in  getting  forward  were  obliged  to 
choose  between  the  waters  of  the  rapidly  rushing  stream 
and  the  consuming  fire.  Hundreds  seemed  to  at  once 
lose  their  senses — men  as  well  as  women.  I  saw  one 
woman,  who,  in  the  attempt  to  pass  forward,  literally 
wilted  and  shriveled  to  nothing  in  the  intense  heat 
which  proceeded  from  the  point  where  the  boilers  were 


OFF    FOR    CALIFORNIA.  277 

situated.  Men,  too,  as  though  they  had  forgotten  the 
nature  of  fire,  or  were  fascinated  or  rendered  insane 
by  the  roaring  flames,  stared  a  moment,  and  then 
rushed  headlong  into  the  fiery  furnace.  A  flash  (as 
their  clothing  took  fire),  a  tossing  aloft  of  the  arms, 
and  they  were  gone.  Even  their  shrieks — if  they 
uttered  any — were  drowned  in  the  roar  of  the  flames.  I 
saw  a  woman  on  the  stern  of  the  boat,  who  had  with  her 
four  children.  She  drew  them  all  to  her,  and,  embrac 
ing  all  in  her  arms,  looked  down  at  the  water.  She 
hesitated  a  moment,  and  then  plunged  with  them  all, 
over  the  stern,  into  the  rushing  river. 

The  work  of  the  flames  was  so  rapidly  done  that 
in  half  an  hour  the  boat  had  burned  to  the  water's 
edge.  Soon  after  the  central  pillar  of  flame  arose,  and 
it  was  seen  that  communication  with  the  shore  was  cut 
off,  men  and  women  went  over  the  sides  and  stern  in 
masses.  It  seemed  that  the  moment  their  attention 
was  turned  to  the  river,  all  were  in  haste  to  leap 
into  it. 

I  visited  the  scene  of  the  wreck  the  next  day,  and 
could  discern,  from  the  position  of  the  charred  trunks 
and  skeletons — mostly,  I  think,  of  females — that  several 
had  never  left  their  staterooms.  The  awful  story  of  the 
burning  of  the  ((  Belle  of  the  West"  is,  however,  still 
so  well  known  that  I  need  not  dwell  upon  the  many 
horrors  of  the  scene. 


278  MY    AUNT    AMONG    THE    APOSTATES. 

CHAPTER  LII. 

SALT    LAKE    CITY MY    AUNT    AMONG    THE    APOSTATES 

PITIABLE       PLIGHT       OF       A       PROPHETESS HOW      I 

RESCUED    HER. 

We  arrived  at  Independence,  Missouri,  May  4th,  and 
took  our  departure  from  that  place  May  gth,  with  eight 
yoke  of  good  oxen  and  two  wagons.  The  cattle  averaged 
sixty  dollars  a  yoke,  and  the  wagons  cost  one  hundred 
dollars  each,  covers  and  all  complete.  Here,  too,  we 
laid  in  all  necessary  supplies.  I  shall  not  detail  the 
trials  and  hardships  of  our  route.  As  the  cholera  was 
abroad  on  the  Plains  that  season  the  amount  of  suffering 
was  unusually  great,  and  every  mile  of  the  way  we 
faced  death  in  some  form.  When  I  say  that  the  pre 
vailing  sickness  and  the  scarcity  of  grass  caused  no 
fewer  than  seven  hundred  wagons,  and  about  three  thou 
sand  persons  to  turn  back  after  journeying  as  far  as  Fort 
Laramie,  it  may  be  imagined  that  the  terrors  of  that 
year  were  great.  To  pass  a  camp  in  which  four  or  five 
persons  lay  dead,  with  two  or  three  "just  dying,  and 
several  others  sick  and  helpless,  was  enough  to  appall 
even  the  most  stout-hearted,  therefore  it  need  not  be 
said  that  those  of  but  ordinary  courage  were  thor 
oughly  smitten  with  terror. 

Traveling  through  the  "Valley  of  the  Shadow  of 
Death" — graves  to  the  right  and  graves  to  the  left  of 
us  as  we  toiled  on  our  way — we  reached  Salt  Lake 
City,  July  i4th.  There  we  were  told  of  a  much 
shorter  route  than  that  taken  by  wagons,  through  which 
we  might  "  swiftly  glide"  on  horseback,  with  pack 


MY    AUNT    AMONG    THE    APOSTATES.  279 

animals.  We  believed  in  this  "  cut-off,"  therefore  sold 
oxen  and  wagons,  and  bought  horses  and  pack  animals. 
For  the  oxen  we  got  about  what  we  paid,  but  all  else 
went  for  a  song — a  song  that  was  sung  by  Mormons 
with  voices  tuned  to  the  sharp  notes  of  Mammon, 
"god  of  the  Syrian."  We  still  had  to  "pay  the 
piper  "  when  we  bought  horses  and  mules,  and  for  our 
extra  provisions  and  supplies  they  took  all  to  the  tune 
of  prices  in  the  large  cities  of  the  States — about  St. 
Louis  prices. 

We  did  not  get  away  from  Salt  Lake  on  our  trip 
through  the  perilous  desert  cut-off  until  July  22d, 
therefore  we  had  time  in  which  to  see  a  good  deal  of 
Zion  and  the  Saints.  We  were  camped  in  the  suburbs 
of  the  place,  and  near  us  were  scattered  a  score  or 
more  of  miserable  board  shanties  and  log  huts  of  dilap 
idated  and  poverty-stricken  Mormons — Saints  whose 
whole  wealth  consisted  of  great  packs  of  lean  dogs  and 
ragged  children.  In  this  part  of  the  holy  city  was  a 
public  well  to  which  all  living  in  the  neighborhood 
resorted  for  the  little  water  they  required,  for  they 
apparently  never  used  it  except  for  cooking  and  drink 
ing.  We  also  procured  water  at  this  well.  One  day 
when  I  was  drawing  water,  a  wretched  and  ragged  old 
woman  came  up  with  an  old  coffee  boiler  and  stood 
waiting.  Having  filled  my  buckets,  I  filled  the  old 
lady's  coffee  boiler.  The  attention  pleased  her,  and 
she  thanked  me  very  profusely.  She  asked  where  I 
came  from,  and  when  I  told  her  she  said  she  once  had 
a  friend  whose  home  was  on  Grand  River,  Canada. 
I  asked  his  name,  and  when  in  answer  she  pronounced 


280  MY    AUNT    AMONG    THE    APOSTATES. 

my  own  name,  I  was  so  astounded  that  I  stepped  back, 
upset,  and  almost  flattened  out,  her  old  coffee  boiler. 
"  And,  for  God's  sake,  who  are  you  ?"  cried  I. 

"  My  name  is  Bardsley — Mrs.  Alice  Bardsley — I 
once  lived  in  Buffalo." 

And  truly  it  was  so.  After  many  years  of  separa 
tion  it  was  thus  that  I  met  my  "  adopted  aunt."  Now 
that  she  mentioned  her  name,  I  was  able  to  trace  out 
and  recognize  her  once  familiar  features.  I  was 
shocked  and  pained  to  see  the  woman  of  wealth,  who 
had  once  been  my  patroness,  reduced  to  a  condition  of 
squalor  and  destitution.  I  at  once  forgot  her  little 
freaks  of  passion,  and  only  remembered  the  kindness 
she  had,  on  most  occasions,  manifested,  and  the  gener 
ous  manner  in  which  she  had  at  one  time  extended 
over  me  her  unbounded  protection,  treating  me  as 
though  I  had  been  her  son  and  heir. 

I  took  the  old  woman  in  my  arms,  kissed  her 
withered  cheeks,  and  pressed  her  to  my  bosom  as 
though  she  were  a  bright  little  beauty  of  sixteen,  and 
my  first  love.  She  sobbed  like  a  child,  and  at  the 
sight  my  eyes  overflowed  and  sent  two  little  streams 
coursing  down  my  cheeks. 

"  O,  my  boy,  my  boy  !  "  cried  she,  «  why  did  I  let 
you  leave  me  ?  " 

As  several  curious  loungers  and  a  few  inquisitive 
women  of  the  neighborhood  began  to  gather  about  the 
well,  I  whispered  the  old  lady  to  point  out  her  house 
and  in  an  hour  I  would  come  to  her,  when  we  could 
converse  without  being  overheard. 

She  pointed  to   a  little  cabin   some   three  hundred 


MY    AUNT    AMONG    THE     APOSTATES.  28 1 

yards  away — a  mere  hut  of  quaking-asp  poles — and  as 
she  did  so  tears  again  gushed  from  her  eyes  and  sobs 
rent  her  bosom. 

That  moment  I  saw  in  my  mind's  eye  the  grand 
house  and  beautiful  grounds  in  Buffalo — and  in  my 
soul  I  knew  that  the  same  picture  was  before  her  eyes. 

Again  I  filled  the  old  coffee-boiler,  holes  in  the  bot 
tom  of  which  were  stopped  with  bits  of  rag,  and,  before 
taking  up  my  buckets,  saw  her  started  for  her  home.  I 
could  have  tracked  her  all  the  way  thither  by  the  trails 
that  little  streams  of  water  from  her  old  coffee-pot  left 
in  the  dust. 

When  I  went  to  her  hut  I  found  that  the  old  lady 
had  changed  her  dress  and  "spruced  up  a  bit."  It 
was  a  doleful  den,  with  a  dirt  floor  and  a  stick  chim 
ney.  -  Her  furniture  consisted  of  one  chair,  two  stools, 
a  rickety  table,  and  a  cupboard  made  of  pine  boxes; 
a  curtain  screened  a  bed  in  one  corner  of  the  cabin, 
doubtless  to  hide  its  squalor. 

I  need  but  briefly  touch  upon  the  history  of  the 
wrongs  and  robbery  Mrs.  Bardsley  had  suffered;  it  was 
the  old  story,  and  what  hundreds  of  others  had  suffered. 
Suffice  it  to  say  that  for  a  time  she  was  honored  as  a 
prophetess  and  ranked  with  the  leaders  of  the  church. 
Joe  Smith  had  soon  persuaded  her  to  place  her  money 
in  trust  in  his  hands  as  the  head  of  the  church,  telling 
her  that,  without  further  care  or  thought  on  her  part, 
all  her  wants  would  then  be  provided  for  during  the 
remainder  of  her  days.  She  did  not  understand  that 
she  was  making  a  gift  of  her  money  to  the  church,  but 
that  she  was  merely  giving  Smith  the  use  of  it  until  the 


282  MY    AUNT    AMONG    THE    APOSTATES. 

affairs  of  the  church  were  firmly  established;  besides, 
it  was  stipulated  that  at  any  time  when  she  wanted  a 
few  hundred  dollars  she  had  only  to  ask  for  it.  It  is 
needless  to  say  that  she  never  was  able  to  get  back  a 
dollar.  While  Joe  Smith  was  alive  he  had  the  decency 
to  see  that  she  was  comfortably  clothed,  housed,  and 
fed,  but  after  his  death  she  was  made  to  shift  for  her 
self;  "was  fed,"  as  she  said,  "at  the  common  trough." 
Although  made  to  herd  with  the  new  converts  gathered 
from  the  ends  of  the  earth,  Brigham  Young  had  prom 
ised  that  she  should  be  better  provided  for  when  the 
Saints  were  established  in  the  "promised  land."  But 
when  they  reached  Salt  Lake,  Young  said  he  had  noth 
ing  to  do  with  Joe  Smith's  contracts,  and  knew  nothing 
about  them.  If  she  had  ever  given  Smith  any  money 
it  had  been  spent  in  building  up  Nauvoo. 

At  last  it  appeared,  from  what  I  could  gather,  that 
Mrs.  Bardsley  got  into  one  of  her  towering  rages  and 
denounced  Brigham  and  all  the  leaders  among  the 
Saints  as  thieves  and  impostors,  and  was  cut  off  from 
the  church.  As  an  apostate,  she  could  receive  no 
church  aid,  and  would  have  starved  if  some  among  the 
Saints  had  not  possessed  human  hearts  and  assisted  her 
in  secret,  she  repaying  them  as  well  as  she  could  by  doing 
plain  sewing.  She  had  tried  fortune-telling,  as  she 
informed  me,  with  a  little  of  the  old  twinkle  in  her  eye, 
but  a  Mormon  "teacher"  had  warned  her  to  desist 
just  as  she  had  worked  up  a  paying  business. 

Considering  what  she  had  endured  I  was  surprised 
to  find  the  old  lady  still  possessed  of  all  her  wits,  much 
strength,  and  not  a  little  vivacity.  This  she  attributed 


MY    AUNT    AMONG    THE    APOSTATES.  283 

to  change  of  climate  and  stirring  scenes  which  had 
kept  her  mind  alive  and  active.  She  said  that  before 
meeting  me  at  the  well  she  had  not  shed  a  tear  since 
leaving  Buffalo;  and  she  asserted  that  the  tears  she  had 
that  day  shed  made  her  feel  years  younger — they  had 
"  lain  on  her  heart  for  ten  years."  * 

That  evening  I  carried  her  a  good  supply  of  coffee, 
tea,  sugar,  and  other  little  delicacies,  causing  her  to 
shed  so  many  tears  that  she  declared  she  felt  that  she 
yet  had  a  score  of  years  before  her,  could  she  but  get 
out  of  Mormondom. 

I  knew  what  she  wanted,  but  as  we  were  to  leave  our 
wagons  and  pack  through,  she  could  not  go  with  me  to 
California.  The  next  day,  however,  I  found  a  well-to- 
do  Missourian,  with  several  teams  and  wagons,  who 
had  a  sick  wife  with  a  young  child.  I  told  the  burly, 
bushy-whiskered  "Pike"  Mrs.  Bardsley's  story,  and 
when  I  had  seen  him  draw  the  sleeve  of  his  coat  across 
his  eyes  two  or  three  times,  I  suggested  that  she  was 
just  the  person  he  wanted  to  look  after  his  wife  and 
child,  and  help  a  little  about  the  cooking. 

"By  George!"  cried  he,  slapping  his  thigh,  "  I 
guess  that's  about  so;"  and,  musing  a  moment,  he 
asked:  "  When  can  she  come  ?  " 

"  This  evening,"  said  I;  "  your  wife  needs  her,  and 
the  sooner  she  comes  the  better." 

That  evening  I  went  to  Mrs.  Bardsley's  cabin  and 
told  her  of  the  arrangement.  She  took  up  her  bonnet 
and  said:  "Show  me  the  way."  She  was  going  to 
walk  out  without  taking  a  thing  with  her,  but  I  reminded 
her  to  make  up  a  small  bundle  of  clothes,  besides 


284  MY    AUNT    AMONG    THE    APOSTATES. 

which  there  was  nothing  worth  taking  except  the  few 
groceries  I  had  given  her  the  day  before. 

As  she  was  making  up  her  bundle  I  saw  that  a  little 
red  dress  and  some  other  small  things  constituted  the 
main  part.  "  Had  I,  in  my  joy,  forgotten  these,"  said 
she,  "  I  would  have  come  back  for  them  on  foot  and 
alone  all  the  way,  over  mountains  and  plains." 

For  certain  reasons  I  waited  until  it  was  quite  dark 
before  transferring  the  old  lady  from  the  cabin  to  the 
Missourian's  wagon.  Once  she  was  housed  in  the 
wagon  I  felt  that  she  would  be  safe,  for  the  Missourian 
was  a  good  hater  of  Mormons,  and  he  had  in  his  train 
many  a  stalwart  Pike. 

"My  aunt,"  as  1  still  called  her,  felt  brave  as  we 
marched  forth.  She  was  straight  as  a  ram-rod,  and 
almost  as  thin,  and  when  I  asked  if  I  went  too  fast  for 
her  she  cried:  "  No,  I  could  walk  across  the  whole  of 
the  Plains.  I  have  not  felt  so  strong  in  ten  years." 

The  Missourian  was  expecting  us,  and  at  once 
guided  Mrs.  Bardsley  to  the  wagon  in  which  were  his 
wife  and  child — the  big,  roomy,  family'wagon. 

The  Missourian  train  was  to  pull  out  the  next  morn 
ing  and  I  told  Mrs.  Bardsley  that  I  would  not  fail  to 
come  and  see  her  off,  I  went  as  agreed  and  found 
Mrs.  Bardsley  more  smiling  and  happy  than  I  had  ever 
before  seen  her  in  my  life.  Already  the  big  Missourian 
was  calling  her  "  mammy  " — it  was  mammy  here  and 
mammy  there.  I  could  see  that  he  was  charmed  with 
the  nurse  I  had  provided.  Taking  me  aside  he  said  : 
"Mammy  tells  me  that  she  will  soon  have  my  wife  up 
on  her  feet  again  and  sound  as  a  dollar  !  " 


MY    AUNT    AMONG    THE    APOSTATES.  285 

I  knew  that  among  other  things  Mrs.  Bardsley  had 
dabbled  in  medicine  and  was  a  very  good  doctress  of 
the  Thompsonian  school,  therefore  I  said  :  "And  so 
she  will;  she  is  a  good  physician;  she  has  studied 
medicine  for  years." 

"  By  George!  "  said  the  Missourian,  "  she's  a  won 
derful  woman.  She  told  rny  wife,  right  away,  all  that 
was  the  matter  with  her,  just  how  she  felt,  and  what 
she  needed;  she  did,  by  George!  and  it's  no  wonder, 
for  she's  a  reg'larly  edicated  botanic  doctor.  Look  at 
her,"  whispered  he,  giving  me  a  dig  with  his  elbow, 
"  she  gets  in  and  out  of  that  wagon  like  a  cat." 

My  parting  with  Mrs.  Bardsley  was  very  cheerful; 
indeed,  almost  gay,  for  we  promised  to  meet  each  other 
in  California.  "  O,  yes,"  said  the  big  Missourian, 
"  you'll  find  mammy  and  all  hands  of  us  over  thar. 
If  we  get  thar  fust  we'll  put  the  big  pot  in  the  little 
one  and  have  dinner  all  ready.  By  George!"  and  he 
slapped  his  thigh,  "we'll  bake  a  pone,  if  they  have  any 
corn-meal  over  thar!  "  And  so  we  parted. 

Our  then  notion  of  California  and  the  diggings  was 
that  everything  centered  about  a  small  patch  of  coun 
try,  and  that  there  all  friends  would  soon  be  assembled 
and  in  daily  communication. 

After  the  big  Missouri  train  had  "pulled  out  " — a 
hundred  wagons,  in  all — I  went  back  to  town  and  went 
up  to  take  another  look  at  Mrs.  Bardsley 's  cabin  to  see 
what  had  happened  there,  or,  rather,  to  see  if  she  had 
been  missed,  and  if  so,  whether  her  disappearance  was 
making  any  noise. 

I  found  half  the  women  of  the  neighborhood  there. 


286  MY    AUNT    AMONG    THE    APOSTATES. 

As  there  was  no  lock  on  the  door,  all  who  wished 
could  enter  the  cabin.  As  there  was  much  wondering 
and  a  vast  deal  of  "  cackling,"  I  said:  "  You  will  all 
do  well  to  keep  your  mouths  shut.  There  has  been  a 
'revelation.'  The  old  lady  has  long  been  sick;  she 
was  troubled  with  a  disease  known  as  apostacy,  but 
she  will  now  soon  be  cured.  She  has  gone  on  a  little 
trip  for  her  health  with  Porter  Rockwell  (the  leader  of 
the  Destroying  Angels),  so  you  see  that  the  less  you 
say  the  better." 

None  of  those  present  seemed  much  affected  except 
one  old  lady — the  most  poverty-stricken  in  appearance 
of  the  lot.  Seeing  that  she  began  sobbing,  I  said: 
"And  it  is  further  revealed  that  all  that  is  in  this  cabin, 
as  well  as  the  cabin  itself,  is  to  be  given  to  this  good 
woman.  Let  no  one  dare  to  dispute  her  right."  Then, 
turning  to  the  old  crone,  I  said:  "Come,  aunty,  I 
must  put  you  in  possession,"  when  I  led  her  into  the 
cabin,  shut  the  door  upon  her,  and  walked  away,  leav 
ing  all  those  in  the  vicinity  quite  subdued  and  bewil 
dered.  Mention  of  the  name  of  Porfer  Rockwell  had 
sent  a  chill  to  every  heart. 


AMONG   THE    PIUTES    AND    OTHER    TRIBES.         287 

CHAPTER  LIII. 

ON     THE      CUT-OF      -DOWN    THE      HUMBOLDT     RIVER 1 

AM    CAPTURED    BY  PIUTE    INDIANS THE    VIRTUES    OF 

"  MEDICINE  LORE  "  AMONG    THE    PIUTES    AND    OTHER 
TRIBES — CALIFORNIA    AT    LAST. 

"We  left  Salt  Lake  to  take  the  much-lauded  cut-off, 
under  the  guidance  of  a  Frenchman  who  said  he  had 
traveled  that  way  two  or  three  times  with  Fremont  and 
others.  We  took  with  us  provisions  for  only  fifteen 
days,  as  our  guide  said  that  in  that  time  he  would 
land  us  in  California,  instead  of  which  we  came  out  at 
the  end  of  the  period  of  time  named,  upon  the  main 
wagon  road  at  the  head  of  the  Humboldt  River.  We 
had  constantly  traveled  through  a  succession  of  water 
less  deserts,  one  of  which  was  ninety  miles  across.  In 
all  of  these  deserts  we  were  obliged  to  carry  water  and 
grass,  and  to  travel  much  of  nights. 

We  were  more  dead  than  alive  when  we  reached  the 
Humboldt,  and  our  animals  were  barely  able  to  crawl 
after  us  when  led.  At  the  Humboldt  we  learned,  to 
our  rage,  that  in  taking  the  "  cut-off"  we  had  traveled 
one  hundred  miles  farther  than  would  have  been 
required  had  we  followed  the  main  wagon  road.  It 
was  a  trick  of  the  Mormons  to  send  emigrants  packing 
through  the  so-called  cut-off  of  the  deserts  in  order 
that  wagons,  supplies,  and  all  except  what  could  be 
carried  on  horses  and  mules,  might  be  "  dumped  down  " 
at  Salt  Lake  and  almost  given  away.  How  well  they 
did  at  this  may  be  imagined  when  I  say  that  in  our 
one  party  there  were  no  fewer  than  three  hundred  men. 


288         AMONG    THE    PIUTES    AND    OTHER    TRIBES. 

Party  after  party  were  deluded  into  taking  this  cut-off, 
and  the  Mormons  always  had  in  readiness  one  of 
"Fremont's  old  guides"  to  steer  them  through  at  a 
salary  of  about  twenty  dollars  a  day. 

We  were  landed  on  the  head  of  the  Humboldt  River 
almost  destitute  of  provisions,  and  the  stock  of  the 
wagon  trains  that  had  preceded  us  had  devoured  nearly 
all  the  grass.  The  carcasses  of  hundreds  on  hundreds 
of  dead  animals  of  all  kinds  tainted  the  air.  We  were 
thirteen  days  on  the  Humboldt  and  were  often  obliged 
to  swim  or  ford  the  river  in  order  to  get  a  few  handfuls 
of  grass  for  our  starving  animals.  As  for  ourselves,  we 
were  glad  to  make  a  meal  of  such  frogs  as  we  could 
catch,  or  at  times  to  pick  the  bones  of  cattle  slaughtered 
by  parties  ahead  of  us,  then  to  crush  the  bones  and 
make  soup  of  them. 

While  on  the  Humboldr;a  little  adventure  befell  me 
which  proved  the  efficacy  of  the  smattering  of  Indian  lore 
and  mysteries  I  had  obtained  while  a  boy  in  Canada. 
Taking  the  strongest  horse  that  remained  to  us,  I  had 
gone,  to  the  northward  of  the  river,  a' distance  of  about 
three  miles,  to  a  range  of  hills,  in  the  hope  of  being  able 
to  kill  a  deer.  On  a  sudden,  as  I  was  going  up  a 
bushy  canyon,  three  Piutes  dashed  out  of  a  thicket. 
One  seized  my  bridle  and  another  my  right  arm  and 
gun.  As  soon  as  I  was  disarmed  the  third  man  drew 
a  large  butcher  knife  and  made  the  man  who  had  dis 
armed  me  a  sign  to  pull  me  off  my  horse. 

Seeing  that  the  intention  was  to  cut  my  throat,  I 
made  several  medicine  signs.  Though  the  signs  were 
not  understood,  the  Indians  were  astonished  and 


AMONG    THE    PIUTES    AND    OTHER    TRIBES.         289 

puzzled.  They  had  evidently  seen  the  signs  made  by 
their  chiefs  without  knowing  their  meaning.  As  they 
stood  wondering,  I  produced  and  showed  them  my  turtle 
ct  totem,"  which  I  had  continued  to  carry,  just  as 
some  persons  carry  the  foot  of  a  rabbit. 

This  they  understood  and  at  once  the  scowl  went  out 
of  every  face. 

By  signs  they  asked  :  "  What  tribe  ?  " 
I  made  the  Mohawk  and  other  tribal  signs,  but  they 
understood  none  until  I  came  to  the  Sioux  and  the 
Kaws,  or  Kansas  Indians.  All  this,  however,  did  not 
satisfy  them.  Leading  my  horse  by  the  halter  they 
made  signs  that  I  must  go  with  them  to  their  leader. 

After  traveling  about  a  mile  up  the  canyon  we 
rounded  the  point  of  a  hill  and  found  about  forty 
Indians  camped  on  a  little  meadow  by  a  spring.  I  was 
led  at  once  to  where  the  chief  was  seated.  My  captors 
spoke  to  the  chief  for  some  time,  and  though  I  could 
not  understand  the  language,  I  could  guess  the  import 
of  what  they  were  saying. 

As  the  men  proceeded  I  could  see  that  the  chief 
was  astonished  at  what  he  heard,  and  soon  he  arose 
and  made  me  a  sign  of  welcome.  I  made  him  several 
medicine  signs,  but  saw  at  once  by  his  puzzled  look 
that  he  did  not  understand  them. 

As  the  chief  and  I  stood  staring  at  each  other, 
neither'knowing  what  next  to  do,  an  old  man  who  was 
squatted  on  the  ground  near  the  spring  gave  a  grunt 
and,  advancing  to  me,  gave  the  answers  to  the  signs  I 
had  made.  Signing  for  me  to  dismount,  the  old  man 
then  led  rne  to  a  clump  of  quaking-asp  trees  a  few  rods 
away,  and  examined  me  as  to  my  mystic  knowledge. 


2QO         AMONG    THE    PIUTES    AND    OTHER    TRIBES. 

I  was  somewhat  rusty,  yet  managed  lo  acquit  myself 
to  the  satisfaction  of  the  old  fellow,  though  I  soon 
found  that  as  a  medicine  man  he  was  many  degrees 
above  rne.  He  at  once  saw  this,  as  I  failed  to  reply,  and 
came  back  to  what  I  could  understand.  He  under 
stood  from  what  my  captors  had  said  that  my  totem 
was  the  turtle,  and  showed  me  that  his  was  the  same. 
He  then  gave  me  the  tribal  sign  of  the  Piutes — made 
by  holding  the  clasped  hands  high  over  the  head — and 
led  me  back  to  the  chief  in  command,  one  of  the 
Winnemucca  family,  but  not  the  old  head  chief,  as  he 
wore  no  stick  in  his  nose. 

The  medicine  man  made  a  long  report  to  the  chief, 
and  made  it  favorable  and  strong,  for  I  had  given  him 
a  burning-glass  and  a  pocket  knife  containing  a  whole 
kit  of  tools.  He  then  said  a  few  words  to  the  other 
Indians,  who  came  forward  and  saluted  me  as  "  Wung- 
ah" — brother.  The  chief  gave  me  a  saddle  of  ven 
ison,  restored  my  gun  and  horse,  and  when  I  was 
departing  handed  me  a  pass  good  for  the  remainder  of 
my  way  through  his  dominions.  This  was  a  buckskin 
string  containing  several  peculiar  knots  and  having  a 
broad  end  cut  to  resemble  the  head  of  a  wolf.  I  found 
the  pass  useful  down  the  river.  At  each  point  where 
it  was  examined  a  knot  was  untied,  and  the  last  Indian 
who  was  shown  it,  after  taking  out  a  knot,  pocketed  the 
pass.  This  was  where  we  left  the  Carson  River  (where 
the  town  of  Dayton  now  stands)  and  where  we  were 
leaving  Piute  territory  to  enter  that  of  the  Washoe 
tribe. 

I  omitted  to  mention  that  at    Union  Town,  on   the 


AMONG    THE    PIUTES    AND    OTHER    TRIBES.         2QI 

Kansas  River,  I  saw  a  big  war  party  of  Kaws,  or 
Kansas  Indians.  They  had  just  returned  from  a  vic 
torious  expedition  against  the  Pawnees.  I  attended  a 
big  feast  and  scalp  dance  given  by  them  at  Union 
Town  (a  village  of  Indian  huts,  and  the  houses  of  a 
few  white  traders)  and  was  well  received  by  their  medi 
cine  men  and  chiefs.  They  gave  me  their  tribal  sign 
and  other  useful  signs  for  one  traveling  farther  west. 
On  the  North  Platte  we  passed  an  encamped  war  party 
of  about  three  hundred  Sioux,  also  then  at  war  with  the 
Pawnees.  At  a  sign  I  made,  one  of  their  medicine 
men  came  out  and  traveled  some  distance  with  me.  He 
spoke  very  good  English  and  knew  many  men  that  I 
mentioned  having  seen — chiefs  and  others — when  I 
was  trading  for  furs  on  Lake  Superior.  He  was  not 
much  surprised  at  seeing  a  white  man  who  knew  some 
thing  of  medicine  mysteries,  and  told  me  he  had  met 
several  that  had  taken  all  but  the  very  highest  degrees. 
On  the  cut-off,  between  Salt  Lake  and  the  head  of 
the  Humboldt,  we  encountered  the  Shoshones.  Before 
we  saw  any  of  them  they  stole  several  horses  from  our 
party  and  shot  others  with  poisoned  arrows.  One  day 
we  surprised  a  flock  of  squaws  who  were  gathering 
grass  seed.  With  them  was  a  very  old  man  who 
proved  to  be  a  medicine  man.  After  exchanging  grips 
and  signs  with  him,  I  made  him  understand  by  signs 
the  loss  we  had  suffered.  The  next  day  a  younger  man 
appeared  on  a  ridge  in  advance  of  us  and  began  making 
signs.  Our  leading  men  halted,  and  hearing  the  cause 
I  rode  to  the  front,  and  understanding  the  signs  the 
man  was  making  invited  him  to  come  down  to  us.  He 


292         AMONG    THE    PIUTES    AND    OTHER    TRIBES. 

came,  and  said  we  should  be  troubled  no  more,  and  he 
would  willingly  return  the  captured  horses  (he  did  not 
look  upon  the  taking  of  them  as  stealing),  but  that 
they  were  beyond  his  reach.  Our  men  presented  him 
a  number  of  trinkets  at  my  suggestion,  with  all  of 
which  he  was  delighted,  as  several  were  of  a  nature  to 
mystify  his  people. 

At.  Carson  River  we  found  on  sale  an  adequate 
supply  of  provisions,  but  at  enormous  prices.  These 
supplies  had  been  brought  over  the  Sierra  Nevada 
Mountains,  and  the  persons  who  brought  and  sold  them 
seemed  determined  that  no  money  should  pass  them — 
they  wanted  all. 

We  arrived  at  the  eastern  base  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
Mountains  August  24th,  and  at  Georgetown,  El  Dorado 
County,  California,  on  Saturday,  August  3ist,  having 
traveled  a  distance  of  two  thousand  and  fifty 
miles  between  that  point  and  Independence,  Mis 
souri.  In  the  Sierras  we  had  again  been  seduced 
into  taking  a  "  cut-off,  "  a  packers'  trail,  which 
we  presently  lost,  and  were  at  last  brought  to  a 
halt  by  a  genuine  "  jumping-ofT  place" — a  preci 
pice  over  a  thousand  feet  in  height.  We  were  then 
obliged  to  retrace  our  steps  to  the  main  trail. 

We  arrived  at  Georgetown  in  great  want  of  rest,  but 
we  found  that  there  the  Sabbath  was  not  a  day  of  rest; 
on  the  contrary,  it  was  the  great  business  day  of  the 
week.  On  Sunday  the  miners  of  all  the  surrounding 
diggings  came  to  town  for  supplies,  and  for  the  purpose 
of  hearing  the  latest  news  and  having  a  good  time. 
The  auctioneers  were  ringing  their  bells  and  shouting, 


I    FIND    MY    AUNT.  293 

bands  were  playing  before  the  gambling-houses,  riddles 
were  going  in  the  dance-halls,  singers  were  roaring  in 
the  saloons,  mule-drivers  were  yelling  in  the  streets, 
and  near  at  hand  there  was  constant  and  lively  target 
practice  with  guns  and  pistols,  while  in  the  midst  of  all 
the  uproar  a  preacher,  mounted  upon  a  dry-goods  box, 
was  trying  to  make  himself  heard. 


CHAPTER  LIV. 

I  FIND  MY  AUNT — HER  DEATH  AND  APPARITION — • 
TALISMAN  AND  TOTEM 1  STILL  REMAIN  A  WORSHIP 
PER  OF  THE  GREAT  SPIRIT — CONCLUSION. 

In  the  diggings  of  Georgetown  I  took  my  first  lessons 
in  gold  mining,  a  business  I  followed  with  varying  suc 
cess  for  a  number  of  years  in  many  towns  and  camps. 
I  also  went  on  many  a  "wild  goose  chase"  in  search 
of  diggings  that  were  literally  of  "fabulous"  richness, 
as  to  the  Gold  Lake,  Gold  Bluff,  and  many  other  places 
where  it  was  reported  that  gold  could  be  shoveled  up 
by  the  pound.  Of  my  adventures  in  the  mines  and 
mountains  of  California  and  Nevada,  however,  I  shall 
not  speak,  they  being  related  in  another  book  devoted 
to  pioneer  days  in  the  "  Golden  State  "  and  in  "  Silver- 
land,"  my  present  home.  In  this  book  will  be  found 
not  only  sketches  of  old  times  in  the  mines,  but  also 
adventures  in  connection  with  staging  and  snowshoeing 
in  the  mountains  during  the  many  years  that  I  was 


294  l    FIND    MY    AUNT. 

superintendent  of  the  teams  and  coaches  of  the  lines 
of  Wells,  Fargo  &  Company's  Express  across  the  Sierra 
Nevada  range. 

I  must  not  forget,  however,  before  concluding  this 
part  of  my  life  history,  to  mention  an  agreeable  surprise 
that  I  met  with  in  the  spring  of  1854.  Business  took 
me  into  Napa  Valley,  one  of  the  most  healthful  agricul 
tural  regions  in  California.  Coming,  one  day,  to  a 
large  and  handsome  farm-house,  I  halted  to  ask  if  I 
could  get  dinner  and  have  my  horse  fed.  To  my  aston 
ishment  and  delight,  who  should  come  out  to  answer  my 
hail  but  the  burly  Missourian  with  whom  Mrs.  Bardsley 
had  shipped  at  Salt  Lake  in  the  capacity  of  nurse.  For 
over  three  years  I  had  searched  and  inquired  for  him 
in  vain;  but  this  was  because  I  had  always  thought  of 
him  as  having  settled  In  some  mining  town. 

He  recognized  me  at  once,  and  cried  :  "  Hello!  so 
at  last  you've  come  to  see  mammy.5' 

I  explained  that  I  would  have  come  long  before  had 
I  known  where  to  find  her.  "  She  has  never  given  up 
looking  for  you — talks  about  you  nearly  every  day," 
said  the  Missourian. 

In  answer  to  my  inquiry  about  her  health  he  said: 
"  O,  she's  fine,  mammy  is — she's  acterly  getting  fat!  " 

Mrs.  Bardsley  was  delighted  to  see  me.  She  still 
called  me  "  her  boy,"  and  I  called  her  "  aunt  Alice," 
a  circumstance  that  seemed  to  rather  puzzle  the  Missou 
rian  and  his  family,  but  I  left  it  to  the  old  lady  to  make 
explanations  in  her  own  way  after  my  departure.  I 
found  her  looking  bright  and  well,  but  "  thin  as  a  rail." 
Her  "  fatness  "  was  all  in  the  admiring  eye  of  the  big- 


I    FIND    MY    AUNT.  295 

hearted  Pike.  He  was  himself  growing  portly,  and  all 
about  him  seemed  to  him  likewise  to  be  acquiring 
plumpness. 

I  was  glad  to  see  the  old  lady  still  active  and  alert. 
She  told  me  she  had  derived  great  benefit  from  the  cli 
mate,  and  said  that  when  she  found  herself  growing 
stiff  in  the  joints  and  sluggish  in  mind,  she  would  go 
still  nearer  to  the  sun — would  keep  moving  southward 
until  she  found  herself  on  the  equator. 

I  remained  two  days  with  the  Missourian,  who  had  a 
ranch  of  over  two  thousand  acres  in  the  heart  of  the 
valley  and  was  rolling  in  wealth.  He  now  had  three 
children,  and  all  called  Mrs.  Bardsley  "grandmammy." 
He  was  never  tired  of  sounding  the  old  lady's  praise, 
and  I  was  glad  to  observe  that  fn  this  he  was  heartily 
seconded  by  his  wife.  He  told  me  that  Mrs.  Bardsley 
had  surely  saved  his  wife's  life  on  the  Plains.  '''Why, 
said  he,  "  she  has  saved  many  lives.  She  doctors  all 
the  women  and  children  about  here,  though  it  is  only 
ten  miles  to  Napa  City,  where  are  men  doctors." 
Then  he  told  me  that  ((  mammy  "  was  going  to  teach 
all  his  children.  "And  she  can  do  it,"  said  he,  "for 
she's  got  a  beautiful  edication." 

On  the  second  day  of  my  visit,  Mrs.  Bardsley  asked 
me  to  go  to  her  room.  On  entering,  I  saw  spread  out 
on  her  bed  the  well-known  little  red  dress.  "You 
see  that  I  do  not  forget,"  said  she.  "Those  things 
will  be  buried  with  me." 

Presently,  on  glancing  about  the  room,  I  saw,  on  a 
sort  of  altar  in  the  corner,  two  small  vases  containing 
joss-sticks,  and  behind  them  a  hideous  little  devil  of  a 
Chinese  god. 


296  I    FIND    MY    AUNT. 

The  old  lady  was  watching  my  eyes,  and  laying  a 
hand  on  my  shoulder,  she  said:  "  Say  nothing  to  any 
one  in  the  house.  I  have  had  many  talks  with  the 
Chinese  cook  about  the  religion  of  Buddha,  and  I 
believe  it  is  good." 

I  was  amused,  when,  some  hours  after,  the  Mis- 
sourian  said  to  me:  "  Mammy  has  a  good  many  talks 
on  religion  with  our  Chinese  cook,  and  I  believe  she'll 
convert  him;  she  has  taken  his  god  away  from  him  and 
has  it  locked  up  in  her  room." 

"  She  is  very  strong  on  religion,"  said  I. 

"Powerful!"  cried  Pike.  "  Yas,  she's  powerful  on 
religion,  mammy  is." 

There  was  no  gloominess  in  our  parting,  for  then  I 
expected  to  pay  all  another  visit  at  no  distant  day,  but 
affairs  were  so  ordererl  by  an  overruling  Providence 
that  I  never  again  returned  to  the  hospitable  mansion 
of  my  Missouri  friend. 

On  the  night  of  the  fifth  of  August,  1859,  I  was 
encamped  in  the  high  Sierras,  at  Hermit  Rock,  with 
no  companion  but  a  large  Newfoundland  dog.  Rolled 
in  my  blankets,  I  was  sleeping  with  my  feet  to  the  fire. 
I  had  been  asleep  about  an  hour  when  I  was  awakened 
by  the  howling  of  my  dog,  who  was  standing  with  his 
head  directly  over  my  face.  I  tried  to  quiet  him,  but 
seeing  that  he  was  trembling  and  in  great  terror,  I  sat 
up  and  began  looking  about  to  try  to  discover  the 
cause  of  the  dog's  fright.  At  first  I  saw  nothing,  for 
my  fire  was  low  and  illuminated  only  a  small  circuit  of 
ground.  I  was  about  to  arise  to  my  feet,  when,  from 
behind  the  blue  wreaths  of  smoke  ascending  from  my 


I    FIND    MY    AUNT.  297 

fire,  glided  forth  the  apparition  of  Mrs.  Bardsley,  just 
as  I  had  seen  her  in  life.  She  held  by  the  hand  a  tall 
young  girl  robed  in  white. 

The  two  images  stood  motionless  for  what  seemed  to 
me  a  full  minute — at  all  events  long  enough  for  every 
hair  on  my  head  to  assume  the  perpendicular,  when 
the  apparition  of  "my  aunt"  said  in  a  low,  solemn 
tone:  "Do  you  understand?"  Then  both  figures 
began  to  move  slowly  backward  until  lost  in  the  dark 
ness  of  the  surrounding  forest. 

I  did  understand,  and  at  once  wrote  to  my  Mis 
souri  friend,  telling  him  jtfhat  I  had  seen,  and  asking 
for  particulars  in  regard  to  Mrs.  Bardsley's  death'. 

In  a  few  days,  an  answer  came  from  the  Missourian, 
and  I  was  told  that  the  old  lady  had  retired  the  even 
ing  of  August  5th,  apparently  in  her  usual  health,  but 
when  she  did  not  appear  at  her  usual  hour  the  next 
morning,  his  wife  had  gone  to  her  room  and  found  her 
cold  in  death.  "She  was  found  kneeling  in  that  cor 
ner  of  the  room  in  which  stood  the  Chinese  god  and 
joss-sticks,"  wrote  the  Missourian,  "a  thing  I  can't 
understand — but  she  probably  over-exerted  herself 
in  prayin'  for  the  destruction  of  the  heathen  and  their 
gods." 

The  circumstance  of  her  being  found  dead  before 
an  image  of  Buddha  did  not  at  all  trouble  me.  I  knew 
that  her  heart  was  right,  and  her  anxiety  to  join  her 
child  in  the  other  world  was  such  that  she  was  ever 
ready  to  pray  to  the  Almighty  wherever  she  thought  he 
might  be  found  and  reached. 

I   give    this  circumstance   of  the  apparition  in  the 


298  I    FIND    MY    AUNT. 

forest  because  it  relates  to  one  of  whom  I  have  had 
much  to  say,  good,  bad,  and  indifferent,  and  I  need  not 
apologize  for  speaking  of  it  as  an  actual  occurrence 
after  what  I  have  already  said  of  similar  apparitions 
seen  by  me  on  several  occasions  in  my  youth.  All  my 
life  I  have  seen  similar  images  of  the  dead  (and  at 
times  of  the  living),  and  could  give  over  fifty  instances 
as  striking  as  any  related  in  the  foregoing  pages,  with 
"  day  and  date,"  but  to  introduce  them  here  without 
any  connection  with  preceding  parts  of  my  narra 
tive  would  be  a  mere  unnecessary  dragging  in.  Also 
another  consideration  restrains  me,  which  is  the  fact 
that  much  of  what  I  would  have  to  relate  would  be 
painful  to  many  persons  still  living  here  on  the  Pacific 
Coast  and  in  the  Atlantic  States.  I  have  never  claimed 
to  be  a  Spiritualist  or  a'  spirit  medium,  and  have  never, 
of  my  own  volition,  exercised  any  power  except  that 
which  was  born  with  me,  and  which  I  believe  to  be  a 
sort  of  natural  hypnotism  or  mesmerism,  but  not  self- 
mesmerism,  for  I  do  not  try  to  throvy  myself  into  a 
clairvoyant  state;  it  comes  of  itself,  or  is  induced  in 
me  by  other  minds  or  spirits,  either  in  or  out  of  the 
flesh.  From  a  close  study  of  the  apparitions  I  have 
seen,  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  man  has,  besides  the 
natural  body,  an  aerial  or  ethereal  body — which  is  an 
exact  image  of  the  natural  body — and  a  spirit  or 
essence  which  has  no  more  shape  than  a  certain 
amount  of  electricity,  but  which  is  capable  of  at  any 
time  animating  and  making  visible  the  ethereal  body. 
It  appears  to  me  that  whenever  the  soul  leaves  the 
physical  body — whether  temporarily  in  life,  or  perma- 


I    FIND    MY    AUNT  299 

nently  at  death — the  aerial  form  goes  with  it  and  can 
be  made  to  become  apparent  at  the  will  of  the  animat 
ing  spirit.  As  for  the  voices  heard,  as  if  proceeding 
from  the  aerial  shape,  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  there  is 
really  no  sound  uttered,  but  that  all  is  the  result  of 
impressions  made  on  the  brain  (or  spirit)  of  the  person 
who  is  communicated  with.  Thus,  when  the  Sky- 
Sifter,  in  her  astral  body,  appeared  to  Captain  Walker, 
while  his  vessel  was  in  the  midst  of  Lake  Erie,  and 
spoke  to  him  while  he  was  on  deck,  none  of  his  men 
heard  any  sound. 

As  regards  the  talisman  or  magic  mirror  I  have 
mentioned,  it  is  a  mystery  I  do  not  pretend  to  under 
stand;  therefore,  will  offer,  in  regard  to  it,  what  has 
been  said  by  another,  Lady  Hester  Stanhope.  Lady 
Hester  Lucy  Stanhope  was  the  daughter  of  Charles,  third 
Earl  of  Stanhope,  England;  granddaughter  of  the 
great  Lord  Chatham,  and  niece  of  William  Pitt.  She 
was  born  in  1776,  and,  as  the  Indians  would  say,  was 
a  bom  ''•  medicine  woman/'  She  left  England  in  1810 
never  to  return.  She  went  to  Syria  to  study  the 
mysteries  of  nature  among  the  Arabs,  a  people  who 
had  knowledge  of  these  things  from  the  most  ancienl 
times.  In  Syria  she  finally  became  the  head  of  a  tribe 
of  Arabs  living  in  tents.  She  dressed  as  an  Arab 
Chief,  and  was  known  as  the  "  Queen  of  the  Desert." 
It  is  said  that  from  ancient  manuscripts,  kept  as 
charms  or  heirlooms  by  the  heads  of  families  who  could 
no  longer  understand  them,  she  pushed  her  knowledge  of 
occult  things  far  beyond  that  of  even  the  most  learned 
of  the  modern  Arabian  magi.  It  was  this  that  gave 


300  I    FIND    MY    AUNT. 

her  her  power  as  a  chieftainess  and  prophetess — that 
gave  her  a  people  and  a  tribe  of  her  own  in  the  deserts. 

She  finally  established  herself,  as  she  grew  old,  in  an 
ancient  convent  in  the  Lebanon  range  of  mountains. 
There  she  even  defied  Mehemet  Ali,  fortified  in  her  con 
vent,  or  rather  castle  of  Djoun.  Her  fortress  was 
about  a  day's  journey  from  Beyroot,  and  she  ruled 
supreme  in  all  the  surrounding  mountains,  thinking 
nothing  of  sweeping  away  a  whole  village  for  dis 
obedience,  as,  for  instance,  in  the  murder  of  a  traveler. 
Besides  the  lore  of  the  Arabs,  she  also  obtained  that  of 
the  Druses,  and  the  mysteries  of  the  Akals,  or  the  initiated 
among  the  Druses,  a  people  who  do  not  adorn  them 
selves  with  gold  ornaments,  or  wear  silk,  embroidered, 
or  fanciful  garments;  who  forbear  using  wine,  spirits, 
tobacco,  and  other  luxuries,  believe  in  one  God,  never 
swear,  utter  obscene  language,  or  lie. 

The  Queen  of  the  Desert  was  visited  in  her  castle  of 
Djoun,  some  years  before  her  death,  by  Alexander  W. 
Kinglake,  author  of  the  "  Invasion  of  the  Crimea,"  who 
tells  of  his  interview  with  the  English-Oriental  mystic 
in  his  "Traces  of  Travel  Brought  Home  from  the 
East."  Among  a  multitude  of  other  things,  Kinglake 
says:  "  She  spoke  with  great  contempt  of  the  frivolity 
and  benighted  ignorance  of  the  modern  Europeans,  and 
mentioned,  in  proof  of  this,  that  they  were  not  only 
untaught  in  astrology,  but  were  unacquainted  with  the 
common  and  every-day  phenomena  produced  by  magic 
art.  She  said  that  the  spell  by  which  the  face  of  an 
absent  person  is  thrown  upon  a  mirror  was  within  the 
reach  of  the  humblest  and  most  contemptible  magicians, 


I     FIND    MY    AUNT.  301 

but  that  the  practice  of  such-like  arts  was  unholy  as 
well  as  vulgar." 

As  an  answer  to  those  who  may  wish  to  know  whether 
I  still  carry  my  turtle  "  totem,"  I  will  say  that  in  Octo 
ber,  1852,  I  was  on  the  Middle  Fork  of  the  American 
River,  at  El  Dorado  Slide.  As  the  shades  of  night 
were  gathering,  three  other  men  and  I  attempted  to 
cross  the  river  in  an  old  scow.  The  boat  capsized,  and 
we  were  all  thrown  into  the  stream,  which  was  quite 
rapid.  Two  of  the  men  were  drowned,  and  I  sank 
twice  (as  I  think),  and  was  then  carried  over  a  dam 
and  thrown  upon  some  rocks.  I  lay  unconscious  for  a 
time,  but  at  last  recovered  my  senses  and  crawled  out 
upon  the  bank  of  the  stream.  I  went  to  a  cloth  house 
used  as  a  saloon,  where  I  saw  a  light,  and  when  I 
entered  there  was  great  consternation.  All  thought 
they  saw  a  ghost,  for  the  man  who  had  escaped  at  the 
time  of  the  upset  had  reported  that  I,  and  all  but 
himself,  had  been  drowned. 

After  I  had  changed  my  clothes  for  dry  ones  and  had 
become  comfortable,  I  thought  of  my  "  totem  "  as  hav 
ing  saved  me  from  drowning  and  searched  for  it,  but 
it  had  disappeared.  Since  that  time  I  have  never  been 
exposed  to  the  danger  of  losing  my  life  by  drowning, 
though  often  before.  I  think  of  the  loss  about  as  a 
man  would  of  a  rabbit's  foot  he  had  long  carried,  and 
that  is  all. 

I  am  now  over  seventy  years  of  age,  and  though  I 
have  seen  and  heard  much  of  the  various  religious  sects 
that  are  in  existence,  the  worship  of  the  Great  Spirit 
as  I  learned  it  in  my  boyhood  seems  to  me  most  satisfy- 


302  I    FIND    MY    AUNT. 

ing.  However,  I  do  not  think  the  medicine  stick, 
and  its  "  totems  of  ancients,"  or  the  mummeries  of 
medicine  feasts  necessary.  I  find  that  which  is  better 
for  me  in  the  stars  of  the  heavens,  the  winds,  the 
clouds,  mountains,  forests,  and  all  the  works  of  the 
Great  Spirit  by  which  I  am  surrounded.  All  these  are 
much  better  than  the  more  petty  symbols  made  by  the 
hand  of  man. 

Some  of  the  unseen  and  unseeable  forces  are  far 
more  powerful  than  any  of  the  things  of  this  earth  that 
are  visible  and  palpable,  as  electricity,  gravitation,  and 
magnetism,  with  others  so  subtle  that  as  yet  they  are 
but  faintly  manifest  to  our  senses  when  our  physical 
bodies  are  in  their  ordinary  state.  There  is  a  sort  of 
mind  telegraphy,  many  traces  of  which  are  seen,  but 
which  we  cannot  yet  securely  grasp.  It  is  seen  to  exist 
between  the  minds  of  the  living,  and,  as  the  mind  or  spirit 
never  dies,  it  must  exist  to  the  same  extent  between  the 
mind  of  a  living  person  and  the  mind  or  soul  of  one 
whose  mere  physical  body  is  dead.  I  think  that  I  have 
had  thousands  of  proofs  of  this.  To  persons  differ 
ently  constituted,  however,  it  may  seem  nonsense. 


THE    END. 


KNIGHTS  OF  THE  WHIP 


-OR 


Life  in  the  Mountains 

AND  MINES. 

A  Book  of  both  Past  and  Present  Times  in  California 
and  Nevada, 


BY  W.  P.  BENNETT,  GOLD  HILL,  NEVADA. 


It  contains  a  history  of  Staging  in  the  Sierra  Nevada; 
accounts  of  all  the  fast  trips  and  fast  time  of  Stages,  Pony 
Express  and  Buckboards;  also  perilous  trips  in  snow  and 
storm,  with  sketches  of  Hank  Monk  and  all  the  famous  old- 
time  drivers  on  the  Placerville  and  Henness  Pass  routes. 

Gold  Mining  in  California  in  the  days  of  '49,  with  many 
incidents  and  adventures,  both  grave  and  gay,  illustrative  of 
the  life  of  the  miner;  also  hundreds  of  other  things  dear  to  the 
heart  of  every  old  Pioneer. 

Silver  Mining  in  Nevada,  with  sketches  of  the  Silver  Miner 
and  his  perils;  a  general  view  of  the  State,  its  rivers,  lakes, 
valleys,  towns,  newspapers,  railroads,  mineral  and  agricultural 
resources,  and  many  reminiscences  of  the  early  days. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


O 


1  .- 


LD  21A-50m-3,'62 
(C7097slO)476B 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


